Time Marches On
by donna79
Summary: Sometimes things happen that you don't plan on. Children grow up and make their own decisions. Set sixteen years after Love.
1. Starting All Over Again

**Story Title: Time Marches On**

**Summary: Sometimes things happen that you don't plan on. Children grow up and make their own decisions. Set sixteen years after Love.**

**Pairings: Too many to mention. All the same ones from before with a few added on.**

**Disclaimer: I never have and never will own Twilight. This story is a figment of my overactive, yet very creative imagination.**

**AN: I know what you're thinking, 'My God, she's making another part to this series?!' Yes, I am. I hope you all enjoy it. **

Sixteen years had passed without a new member of the pack. Quil felt that it was time for him to step down. He had a family now with another baby on the way. Sam and Paul were elders now, they could handle things. He was the only member of the pack and he felt that he had served the tribe as best he could.

"Quil, are you alright?" Claire asked getting his attention.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"You don't have to leave the pack if you don't want to."

"I'm a forty year old in a twenty five year olds body. We have Simon, and it won't be much longer before Chase is born. I've been a member of the pack for twenty four years. It's time."

"I do like the idea of having you around at night," she said with a smile.

"You won't have to cook so much."

"How long will it take before you're human again?"

"Six months."

"God, that long?" she asked as she rolled her eyes teasingly.

"I'll talk to Sam tomorrow."

Claire nodded as three year old Simon called for her. Quil was left alone with his thoughts once again and he wondered why he hadn't done this sooner.

XXXX

Bella rolled over in bed, slowly opening her eyes. Her eyes focused on the person standing next to the bed with a smile. She scooted over and her youngest daughter Maggie climbed onto the bed. At seven, Maggie was a sweet natured, active little girl. She wrapped her arms around Bella's waist before laying her head on Bella's shoulder. Bella rested her head on top of Maggie's as the door opened.

The door opened wider and Will stuck his head in.

"Morning, Bubba," Maggie said with a smile.

"Come on," Bella said patting Jacob's side of the bed.

He walked in with their Jack Russell Terrier following close behind him. He sat Indian Style on the bed as the dog chewed happily on a chew toy at the foot of the bed. Bella ran her fingers through Will's hair as he turned on the TV.

The kids got lost in cartoons while Bella worked on her laptop. She had a deadline that was fast approaching and she couldn't think of an ending for the story.

"No, Zeus!" Will ordered sternly.

Bella looked up to see the dog humping his chew toy. She shut down her laptop with a sigh.

"Is your sister up?"

"No," Maggie said.

"She was on the phone late last night," Will said, not looking away from the TV.

"Was she now?" Bella asked.

Will nodded before Bella got off the bed. She made her way down the hall to her oldest daughter's room. She knocked on the closed door just loud enough for the girl inside to hear. There was shuffling and sighing on the other side before a bleary eyed sixteen year old Bella look alike opened the door.

"It's time to get up."

"What time is it?"

"Almost noon, give me your phone."

"Which one ratted me out this time?" The girl asked with a sigh.

"A mother never reveals her source. I need you to take Maggie to the park so I can get some work done."

"Why can't Will do it?"

"You can't expect your ten year old brother to watch your seven year old sister. I don't ask a lot of you Christina. Please do it just this once."

"Yes ma'am," she said with a sigh.

She handed Bella her phone as she passed her to go into the hall.

"Come on Munchkin, let's go to the park," Christina called to Maggie as she passed her parents room.

"Can I come?" Will asked.

"Seth will be here to get you soon. You have baseball practice; your dad is picking you up after," Bella said.

"Okay," Will said as he walked into his room.

At ten Will looked just like Jacob. Everything about the boy reminded Bella of Jacob. Christina was a typical teenager. She had a question for every answer you gave her. She and Jacob butted heads about almost everything. Bella was usually dragged into it by Christina. She hated taking sides with the two of them. Either way she decided the other would be hurt, and more than likely give her the silent treatment for the rest of the day.

Maggie was not only a Daddy's girl but an absolute dream to take care of.

"Mom, can I ask Sarah to come with us?" Christina asked.

Bella nodded before walking back into her room. Will was back in the room watching cartoons in his baseball uniform.

"Get your cleats off the bed," she said as she started her computer again.

Seth called Will's name from the front door ten minutes later. With the house completely silent Bella tried to focus on getting some work done. Being a stay at home mom wasn't what she had originally planned for her life. Jacob had been the one to inspire her to write her first book. She made her own hours and she got to spend time with the kids. Jacob's business had taken off a year after they got married. Black's Bikes now had four stores across the state of Washington with another to open in Oregon in the next year. Life had finally started going their way and they weren't going to mess with the system.

XXXX

Rachel knocked on Joe's door for the third time in twenty minutes.

"Joseph, it's time to get up."

"Jeeze Ma, I'm up," he said opening the door.

"It only took me three times," she said teasing him.

"Is dad already gone?"

"He left an hour ago."

"Great, he's gonna be pissed," he said quickly stepping into a pair of jeans.

"That's not my fault. He tried waking you up before he left."

"I don't have time to eat, do I?"

"I made you some lunch. Eat it on the way," she said handing him a bag.

"Thanks Ma, I'll see you later. Bye Shorty," he said as he passed Sarah.

"Bye," she called as he ran through the yard to his truck.

Rachel came to stand beside Sarah. At seventeen Sarah was more responsible than her twenty one year old brother. She was so much like Rachel's mother that everyone pointed it out. Rachel had made the right decision when she had decided to name the girl after her mother.

"Do you have any plans today?"

"Christina and I are taking Maggie to the park."

"That's a good idea. Bella needs to get some work done."

Sarah nodded as Christina's car pulled up in the yard. Joe waved at them as he drove away. Sarah grabbed her jacket before heading out the door.

"Have fun," Rachel said with a smile.

"I will."

In the car Christina told Sarah about what had happened earlier.

"Will told Mom," Maggie said from the back seat.

"Mom has her source and I have mine. Thank you Baby."

"You're welcome. You aren't going to hurt him are you?"

"I don't want to get grounded."

Noah was outside his parent's house with Cassius when they passed it. Sarah's eyes met his before looking away quickly.

"Have you talked to him yet?"

"No."

"You dated him for two years. You've known him your entire life; can't you be friends with him?"

"It hurts too much."

"Why did you break up with him?"

"Things have changed. I've changed."

"That happens to people all the time. The two of you can't work through it?"

"We spent our entire relationship in separate states. He barely came home."

"I know. He can't be tamed, you knew that when you started dating him."

"He's not a bad guy. He just doesn't have his priorities in order. I want a guy who has their head on straight."

"I hear ya. I do too."

"Let me know when you find one, maybe he has a brother."

Christina laughed as she shook her head. The conversation was closed once they got to the park. Maggie saw some of her friends so she went to play with them while Christina and Sarah talked on a bench.

"Can I use your cell phone?" Christian asked.

"Text your secret boyfriend," Sarah teased as she handed her the phone.

Christina smiled as she sent a quick text message. She handed it back to Sarah once the person had answered her back.

The two of them had been best friends since they were babies. It helped to have someone close to her age for her to turn to. Will had Seth's son Jeremy to tag team with when he wanted to get on Christina's nerves. The two of them were too smart for their own good.

XXXX

Paul had sent Joe home after he had only been at work a few hours. Something wasn't right, and he knew exactly what it was. Rachel met him at the door when he got home.

"Please tell me that he is fine."

"He's sweated through three pairs of shorts already. He got the fan down from the attic and he has his window open in the middle of January. He's perfectly fine," Rachel said rolling her eyes.

"I'll go talk to him."

"Why is this happening?" she asked in a strained tone.

"We knew that this might happen. Edward has been taking in Nomad vampires since he came back a year ago."

"Why did Quil let him come back?"

"He's harmless, and he wouldn't let someone that could be a threat stay in the area. Open the door, Joe," he said knocking on it.

Joe opened the door and Paul stepped into the room, closing the door quickly.

"You know, you didn't explain this very well," Joe said as he sat on the bed.

"I told you that you had to experience it for yourself to fully understand it. It gives you an excuse to finally cut your hair. You look like a hippie."

"Aww man!" he said with a groan.

"Rach, get the clippers. He's gonna let you cut his hair."

"Not all of it!" he countered.

"I need to call Sam and Quil and get them over here. It looks like Quil can officially step down."

Rachel came in with the scissors and hair clippers and Paul left to call Sam.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Joe's going through the change."

"That makes two."

"What?"

"It hasn't happened yet, but CJ came to see Hannah and Stacia today. Hannah said that he looked considerably different from the last time she had seen him a month ago."

"How is Embry taking it?"

"Okay. I've got Ceej here with me if you want to send Joe down. Hannah's taking it pretty hard."

"So is Rachel. I'll ask Joe what he wants to do."

That meant that one of them was destined to be Alpha, but which one? Paul thought that Joe could handle it, but CJ was a better leader.

XXXX

Sam had Joe and CJ in the woods behind his house. He was teaching them how to reign in and control their anger.

"There are safer ways of phasing, the last thing you want to do is shred your clothes."

Joe nodded as he concentrated on not letting the trash talk that Noah was throwing at him get to him.

"Shut up!" he growled.

"Uh oh, I think he's gonna lose it!" Noah laughed.

"Great idea bringing him Ceej; you wait until you're going through this," Joe threatened.

"I'm scared!" Noah said in mock horror.

Sam shook with laughter as he shook his head.

"It's good that he's here. Keep going Noah," he said once he calmed down.

"Can't you pick on CJ?"

"Bros before foes," CJ said with a grin.

"You got that right," Noah quipped.

Joe finally snapped and let the laughter that had been bubbling inside him spill out.

"Very good, tomorrow night I'll show you how to phase correctly. Be at my house in the morning, Joe. You and I need to talk." Sam said giving Joe a serious look.

"Yes Sir," he said with a nod.

CJ, Noah, and Sam headed in one direction while Joe headed home. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would be a part of the pack. He had wished that he could be as a kid so that he could be like his dad and uncle. Now that it was happening he felt an overwhelming sense of pride. He would serve the tribe, and he would never let anyone down.

**AN2: I wanted to tell you guys how to pronounce Embry and Hannah's ****daughter's name. It's Stay-Sha. M****y brother in law has a cousin with that name. I've liked it ever since I met ****her.**


	2. The Doppleganger Effect

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do own all of the OC characters from this story. I even own Will, when you think about it. I didn't name him Billy.**

Bella stood at the counter putting her book in order, readying it to be shipped to her editor. A pair of arms slid around her waist before Jacob kissed behind her ear. She smiled as she turned her head. She kissed the corner of his mouth before sealing the envelope. She addressed it before turning in his arms. Her smile widened as she took in his features.

Jacob had aged well. At forty one he still had a head full of thick black hair and he barely had a line on his face. Bella on the other hand needed an extra ten minutes to get ready than she did before. Crow's feet had crept up on her and she had recently started dyeing her hair. His body was leaner now with less muscle while she maintained her weight easily.

"You're home early," she said before kissing him lightly.

"I was so tired that I couldn't think straight. I sent myself home early," he murmured.

"That's one advantages of being the boss. I didn't hear you come in last night."

"I've gotten more stealth like with old age."

"You are not old, that would make me ancient."

"You're only a year and a half older than I am."

He smiled before threading his fingers into her hair.

"How are Joe and CJ handling things?"

"Okay. Joe's still adjusting to the fact that he's Alpha. It hasn't sunk in yet."

"Are Rachel and Hannah doing any better?"

He nodded as her arms slid down his shoulders to his biceps. He leaned in slowly capturing her lips. Their love for each other grew stronger with every passing day. Just when he thought he couldn't love her anymore she did something to make him love her even more. She sighed against his lips as he applied more pressure.

"I was going to get something to eat, but I lost my appetite," Christina said before walking out of the room.

"That is why I don't worry about her having a boyfriend. If we make out enough, we just might make her change her mind about getting married," he said.

"Just imagine if she walked in on us having sex."

"We wouldn't have to worry about having grandkids until Will is old enough."

"I'm leaving!" Christina called.

"Don't stay out late," Bella called before the front door shut.

"You didn't ground her for being on the phone in the middle of the night?"

"I took her phone."

"You mean the one that I gave back to her ten minutes ago?"

"Why would you do that?"

"I thought that she had misplaced it."

"Go get it. And don't ground her!" she called.

"Oh yes I am," he called.

"She has a study group tonight. She has to go."

"She's grounded starting when she gets home."

He came back in the house and could be heard walking around upstairs. This wasn't the first time that Christina had pulled a fast one on them. Usually it was Bella who made the mistake. He came back down a few minutes later still seething.

Bella put her hands on his shoulders kneading the tense muscles gently. He sighed as he fell against her. Things had changed just after her birthday. She was growing up too fast. In a few years she would be in college. She was already starting to pull away from them. It would be hard to let her go when the time came.

XXXX

The person knocking at the door was awfully persistent, which meant that it could be only one person. The knocking continued as she walked down the hall.

"I can hear you. Wait a minute," Sarah said as she unlocked the door.

She slowly opened the door to see the one person that she didn't want to see. Hazel eyes stared back at her before she sighed.

"Is Joe here?" Noah asked.

"He's running patrol," she said with a shake of her head.

"When will he be back?"

"Not until tonight."

"Can I come in?"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please? I miss you," he said giving her a look that always made her give him whatever he wanted.

"You've got five minutes," she said as she opened the door.

Noah came inside and moved to pull her to him. She put a hand up to stop him, giving him a warning look.

"I always hug you. You've never had a problem with it before."

"Things are different now."

"What has changed?"

"You know what's changed. Neither of us was happy with the way things were going. Don't make me out to be the bad guy."

"I want us to be friends," he said with a sigh.

"We will be, just not right now."

"Then what are we?"

"We're two people who tried to make it work and are now picking up the pieces. I'm sorry, but there isn't a manual on how an ex-girlfriend should act."

"There should be," he muttered.

"I'll work on not being so awkward. That's all I can promise."

"That's all I'm asking for."

"You're five minutes are up."

He nodded as he ran a hand over his short light brown hair. The helpless look he gave her as he opened the door made her want to cry. He shut the door silently before she fell against it. If she was going to be friends with him she was going to have to be stronger. If she didn't she would find herself back with him and the cycle would start all over again.

XXXX

The door to the house opened as soon as the car came to a stop. She smiled as the person she wanted to see stood on the porch, waiting for her. She got out of the car as he walked down the stairs. They met her in the middle of the yard.

"I didn't think that you were coming."

"My dad found out that I wasn't supposed to have my phone. He lectured me for ten minutes."

"I told you that you shouldn't have taken it back. What did he say?"

"I'm grounded for a month."

"I'll come to see you then," he said pulling her to him.

She hugged him, taking in the quiet. She had loved coming here ever since she was a little girl. The house had belonged to someone else then, but it still had the same calming effect on her.

"Where is everyone?"

"I told them that I needed the house to myself for the night," he said with an impish smile.

She smiled back before resting her head on his shoulder. Everything about him was perfect. She didn't see him the way other people saw him. Her dad would have a coronary if he found out that they were together. She had a feeling that her mom would understand the way she felt about him. All of her problems vanished when she was with him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How my parents will react when they find out we're together."

"Jacob won't like it at first, but he will understand. Bella will be happy for us, even if she does worry about you."

"Did Alice tell you that?"

"Many years ago; before you were even born."

"When can we tell them?"

"The time isn't right. It won't be much longer, I promise," he said before kissing her lightly.

They walked into the house hand in hand. The kitchen was awash with light from the candles that were scattered across the room. The table was set for one and he pulled her chair out for her. She placed her napkin in her lap as he sat down across from her. They talked while she ate, and once she was done they went into the living room.

They sat at the piano while he played for her. They both got lost in the music and before they knew it, it was almost time for her to leave.

"I didn't get my paper done," she said with a sigh.

"I'll come by and help you tonight," he said as he walked her to her car.

"I appreciate you helping me."

"Your mom wasn't great at history either. Don't worry about it," he said with a smile.

"I'll see you later," she said before kissing him quickly.

He stood in the yard long after she had left. He had known before she was even born that they would be together. He had been alone for so long that being with her was like someone had pulled a cover from over his eyes. He hadn't felt this way since Bella and now he knew why he had been so drawn to her. He had felt a pull towards her because of Christina. Carlisle said that he had never seen anything like it. Like with Bella, he couldn't read her mind. She may look like her mother, but that was where the similarity stopped. Christina was strong; and level headed, and she knew what she wanted and went after it. She loved him, and he loved her. She would soon be with him forever, and he would finally feel complete. He had always felt like a part of him was missing. As soon as he saw Christina for the first time, held her in his arms, he knew that she was the person that he would spend forever with. He would have known it even if Alice hadn't told him.


	3. Learning to Let Go

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: I want to say thank you to all of you for giving this story a chance. Thank you for all of the positive feedback and for following this story.**

Leah sat across from her oldest and youngest children smiling as they joked back and forth. Curtis was better at dealing with having a sibling who was considerably younger than him than Leah had been. Drew was only nine and she had her brothers and dad eating out of her hand. She was a mirror image of Leah and Curtis with their endless energy and carefree nature.

Leah had noticed something wasn't quite right when Curtis starting filling out at a rapid rate a few weeks ago. She asked him if he had been working out and his answer was that it was like he had woken up one morning and the muscles were just there. She had hoped that since they didn't live on the reservation that the boys wouldn't be subjected to what she had gone through. She should have known that she could have taken them as far as China and it would have more than likely happened.

She made a mental note to talk to Seth about letting Curtis stay with him for a while. Curtis had been recently laid off from his job and was looking for work, so the idea of working for Seth would be a great excuse for getting him to go. Now all she had to do was talk to Ryan.

"Mom?" Curtis asked.

"Did you say something?"

"No. You looked like you were a million miles away."

"I was just thinking. How would you like to go and work for your Uncle Seth?"

"Or Uncle Jake?" he added.

"Either one," she agreed with a nod.

"Would you be okay with me being so far away? You wouldn't even let me leave Massachusetts to go to college."

"You're older now. I can't keep you close to me forever. I'll have Ben, and I have your sister. Your dad is here. So it's not like I'll be alone."

"I'll talk to Seth," he said with a nod.

Leah gave him a reassuring smile before nodding herself. She hoped that he would be able to handle everything. She hadn't told the kids a lot about what had happened during that time or how she and Ryan had gotten together. She knew that it was going to come back and bite her in the ass.

XXXX

Noah had been quiet all day. Hannah loved having him home after not seeing him for nearly a year. Noah had chosen to stay away while he was in college. He was more comfortable on his own than he was relying on his family. She didn't know where it came from. Neither she nor Embry were like that.

He sat on the couch with Stacia in his lap. The little girl had a calming effect on him. He wasn't as withdrawn when she was around. Stacia told him a story about something that had happened in preschool that day. He nodded at the right times, but he didn't say anything. Not even his four year old sister could bring him out of his mood.

This wasn't like him at all, and it worried Hannah. Embry stood next to her watching her with a worried look of his own.

"He's probably just worried about if he'll be next."

"Or it could be Sarah."

"You know that he won't tell us. He doesn't like people getting into his business, like someone else I know."

"When have I ever been like that?" she asked gesturing to their youngest son.

"When you were pregnant with CJ," he reminded her.

"That was different; I was worried about what kind of parents we would be. You don't think that he's gotten some girl pregnant do you?"

"Noah?" Embry called.

Noah looked over at him with a curious look.

"Are we about to be grandparents?"

Noah shook his head, giving his father a weird look before looking back to his sister.

"That answers that," Embry said before walking away.

"Stacia Baby, why don't you go outside? You can play on the swings outback," Hannah said as she stood behind the couch.

"Come on, I'll take you," Embry said taking her from Noah.

Hannah sat next to Noah on the couch then turned towards him.

"If something is bothering you, you can tell me. Are you scared about joining the pack?"

No answer.

"Are you worried about finding a job? You know that you can stay here as long as you want."

He wouldn't even look at her.

"Did something happen with Sarah?"

He looked down at his hands before picking at his thumb cuticle. That was what he did when he was nervous. She had hit the nail on the mark.

"I know that you still want to be with her, but her reasons for not wanting to be with you are valid. I know it's hard, but you have to let all the anger you have towards what happened go. No amount of pleading or you being angry at yourself is going to change her mind. You can't force her into something that she isn't ready for. Who knows, if you join the pack she could turn out to be your imprint and all of this will be put behind you."

"What if I don't?"

"Then it's not the end of the world. You'll find someone else."

"She won't be Sarah."

"No one is going to be like her because there is only one Sarah, but you'll find a girl who is just as special. You just have to be patient," she said putting a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed before slowly turning towards her. He buried his face in her hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He hadn't let anyone other than Sarah hug him since he was nine. He let his body fall against her and she held him tighter.

"Everything is going to be fine. Give her some time and I'm sure that the two of you can be friends again."

He was silent as she rubbed his back reassuringly. Embry came through the back door with a crying Stacia. He stared at them with wide eyes. Hannah mouthed what happened and Embry held up a bloody knee. It was scraped up pretty bad. He sat her on the counter before going to get the first aid kit from the bathroom.

Noah pulled away from Hannah and she let him go. He went into the kitchen and had Stacia calmed down within seconds. Embry came in with the kit and Stacia could be heard saying that she wanted Noah to clean her up.

Embry came into the living room and sat next to Hannah. He draped an arm over the back of the couch and Hannah laid her head on his shoulder.

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine."

"Is it Sarah?"

"I'm not telling you. He won't open up to me again if I tell you."

"Just tell me, is it something bad?"

"It's not something that he can't handle. It will just take some getting used to."

Noah brought Stacia back into the room and sat next to Hannah. Stacia wrapped her arms around his neck and resumed telling him the story from earlier. He had always been good pretending that everything was fine. He was like Hannah in that way.

XXXX

Emily called Marcus down to breakfast and he could be heard walking around upstairs. She refilled Sam's coffee cup while he read the newspaper. Marcus came downstairs and Emily gasped. Sam looked up at her to see what was wrong. She was staring at Marcus with her mouth hanging open.

"I'll go put a shirt on," Marcus said as he got up from his chair.

"You should have thought about that before you came down," Sam said still watching Emily.

Emily looked like she was on the verge of tears as Sam furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Marcus, come back down," Emily called.

"I'm still looking for a shirt."

"Just for a minute," she pleaded.

He was back downstairs seconds later and Sam's eyes widened in surprise. His son who had been stick thin and had been called 'Chicken Wing' by his brother since he was born now had the build of body builder.

"What?" Marcus asked looking between the two of them.

"I think that you should stay home from school today," Sam said.

"You're letting me play hooky? Who died?"

"No one died Son. You're going to wish that you had died soon though."

"Why?"

"You're going to be joining the pack, unless you've been taking steroids."

"Please tell me that you're on steroids," Emily pleaded.

"I've never done drugs Mom, sorry."

"Go put a shirt on. I'm gonna call Paul."

"He's just a baby," Emily said as a tear fell down her cheek.

"It's going to be fine," Sam said wiping her tear away.

"Why couldn't it have been Cassius?"

"We both knew that this might happen. Marc is the same age that Jake, Embry, and Quil were when they joined."

"They didn't handle it well if I remember correctly. Quil hid from you the first time he phased."

"No one had told them what to expect. Marc is going to be fine; he knows what's going on."

"Go call Paul. I'm going to go see Curtis, he got in last night."

"Bring him back with you. He and I need to talk."

"I will," she said with a nod.

He pulled her to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He rubbed slow circles on her back. He didn't like the idea of Marcus being the one who had been given the right of passage. He was younger than the other three by at least four years. He would listen to them and do whatever Joe told him because that was the way that he had been raised. Sam had no doubt that he would make the transition smoothly. He had prepared both of his boys as best as he could. He hadn't thought to go into detail with Cassie because the odds of a female joining the pack where slim to none. Leah had been the first female wolf in over three hundred years. What were the odds that there would be a girl in the pack this time around?

XXXX

CJ was in the file room when Cassie came in. She could hear him riffling through the cabinets as she took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack.

"Do you need help finding anything?" she called as she turned on her computer.

"That girl you hired has a different way of filing."

"What do you mean by different?"

"She just shoved everything in where ever she could find a place."

"You're kidding. I hired her, I'll fire her. Then I'll fix the files."

"Is she coming in today?"

"She was supposed to be here by now."

"There goes her recommendation."

"I swear that I did a background check on her. And she had a great resume too."

"It's fine."

"How are you feeling? I thought that you would be working from home for at least another couple of weeks."

"I feel fine. I might need a nap in a little while. Your dad has been running me ragged."

"What do you think I can do about it?" she asked with a laugh.

"Put in a good word for me, seeing as I am your best friend."

"I'll see what I can do. Did you find what you needed?" she asked as he walked back to his office.

"I got it, and it only took me ten minutes to find it."

"I'll go back and sort it out now."

"I'll handle Susan when she comes in."

She passed his office without looking in. He obviously wasn't in the mood to talk. It was his first morning back since going through the change. She hadn't seen him in almost a month. She had taken over the office work and he would come in during the night to get what he needed and drop off whatever he had finished. She had hired the girl because she needed help. She didn't know anything about running a law office. She hadn't had the heart to tell CJ that she was swamped with work of her own and that she was fighting fatigue most nights when she got home from her other job.

It took her nearly three hours to get half of the files sorted out. She was going to be late for work if she didn't leave now.

"I have to go. I'll come in after work to finish. I'm late," she called as she pulled her jacket on.

"Hold on," he said.

"CJ I have to go."

"I have something for you," he said from closer to her.

He came out of his office looking down at the floor. He held an envelope in his hand. He finally looked up when he stood in front of her. His heart sped up and his palms started to sweat as everything fell out from underneath him.

"Colten Jeremiah Call did you just imprint on me?" Cassie asked with wide eyes.

"Yes," he said with a wide eyed look of his own.

"I'm telling my daddy on you!" she said as she stomped her foot.

"Please don't. Oh God, he's gonna kill me!" he said as he clenched his eyes shut.

"No come back about how I was just acting like a bratty five year old?"

"I have bigger things to worry about right now."

"It's going to be okay. He'll understand," she said pulling him to her.

"Yeah, he's going to be thrilled," CJ said sarcastically.

"Actually I think he will be. He won't have to worry about me being with some guy that he doesn't like," she said hugging him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tighter.

"You're crushing me," she said in protest.

"Sorry," he said pulling away.

"Gotcha!" she said with a laugh.

"That's not funny. I thought that I was really hurting you," he said with a pout.

"I never noticed before, but you're cute when you pout."

"It's because I rarely ever do it."

"You are freakishly happy all the time."

"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically.

She laughed as she shook her head. The door to the office opened and Susan came in with a look of surprise.

"I'm going to need you to come into my office."

"Yes Sir Mr. Call," she said quietly.

"Go easy on her," Cassie warned.

"Not only did she make a mess out of the files, but she's nearly four hours late for work."

"She's toast."

"Yeah," he said with a nod.

"I'll see you later. We'll go by my parents after I get off work."

He nodded as she looked down at the envelope that he still held in his hand.

"That envelope had better hold a check, or better yet cash."

"It's cash. Thank you for helping out around here."

"Does that mean that you no longer need me?"

"Just until I can find a secretary," he said, giving her puppy dog eyes.

"I guess I can stick around for a little while longer," she said rolling her eyes.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

She leaned up to kiss his cheek quickly before opening the door. He stood frozen where he was for a few seconds after the door had shut. They were going to have a long talk about what was going on between them soon. He had never thought of her as anything other than a friend. He had seen what dating a friend could do to someone when Noah and Sarah were dating. Both of them were miserable now because of it. Fate had stepped in and decided that Cassie was the girl that he was supposed to be with and he would go along with it.


	4. A Mother's Intuition

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Marcus looked out across the field where the bonfire would take place that night. The new pack would be introduced to the rest of the tribe. All of the members from the former pack would be there and there was going to be a ceremony where Joe and CJ were named as alpha and second in command. He should be happy that he had been selected to be a part of the pack. Most of the elders thought that he was too young, except for his dad and Paul. He knew that since he was still in school that he was behind all of the others. That didn't mean that he didn't feel any less honored than the others did.

"Are you alright?" Cassius asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Yeah," he said with a nod.

"You aren't nervous are you?"

"No. I just wish that the others didn't treat me different."

"You're the newest to the pack and you're the youngest. You have to prove yourself to them."

"I bet they wouldn't be acting the way they are if it were you."

"You're probably right. I've known Joe and CJ longer than you have. They are giving Curtis just as much hell if not more."

"That's because he didn't grow up with us."

"Don't worry about it. Once you show them what you can bring to the pack they'll ease up."

"Thanks," he said with a grateful smile.

"Do CJ and Cass look different to you?"

Marcus searched the field until he found their sister and CJ. He stood behind her with his chin on her shoulder whispering in her ear. She smiled before shaking her head.

"Do you think he's imprinted on her?"

"I would rather it be him than Joe," Cassius said as they continued to watch them.

"CJ has imprinted already?" Sam asked walking up to them.

"We aren't sure," Marcus said pointing to Cassie and CJ.

"I'll go talk to them," Sam said before shaking his head.

CJ saw Sam coming towards them with a concerned look etched across his face. He pulled away from Cassie slowly, looking down at his feet.

"He's going to think you're hiding something," she whispered.

"I told you we should have told him the other night like we planned."

"I had to work late," she whispered harshly.

"Is there something that you two want to tell me?" Sam asked as he stood in front of them.

"Before we do, do you have any sharp objects on you?"

"No," he said giving CJ a pointed look.

"Good to know," CJ said with a nod.

"He's imprinted on me."

"When were you planning on telling me?"

"Tonight, we wanted to wait until you and mom were together."

"I'm not mad. You should tell your mother, CJ and I need to talk."

Cassie watched them walk off to a corner of the boundary line. She wished that she knew what her dad was saying to him. Knowing her dad it wouldn't be anything too bad. Sam thought of CJ as his son. He had watched him grow from a gangly, goofy kid to a smart, honest, good natured man. He knew that CJ would never hurt Cassie, but he did feel that he had to warn him, just in case.

XXXX

Sarah was sleeping when her dad and Joe left to go to the bonfire. Rachel was going to let her sleep another hour and then try to wake her up. She had felt that something wasn't right with Sarah for the past few weeks. She wasn't herself. She spent more time with Joe and CJ than she did with her friends. She had grown five inches in two days. Rachel prayed that it wasn't what she thought it was.

Leah had been the first female wolf in the three hundred years since the first pack. What were the odds that the pack would gain another female so soon after Leah? Rachel sat in the living room worrying about her daughter when someone knocked at the door.

She sighed before pushing herself off the couch. Hannah stood outside with Stacia at her side. Hannah took in Rachel's appearance knowing something was wrong.

"Joe hasn't gotten some girl pregnant has he?"

"No," Rachel said shaking her head.

"Is Sarah pregnant?"

"No," Rachel said as her eyes welled up with tears.

Hannah looked over her shoulder to see Sue and Leah walking down the road with Curtis and Seth.

"I'll be right back. Come on Baby," Hannah said taking Stacia's hand.

They walked to the women and Stacia immediately launched herself at Curtis. He picked her up with ease while Hannah talked to Sue and Leah. They both nodded before looking towards Rachel. Rachel now sat on the porch with her head in her hands and she was shaking uncontrollably.

"You don't think…" Sue said.

"I think so," Hannah said with a nod.

"I can go with you," Leah said.

"I think that would be best. Be good for Curtis," she said to Stacia as they walked back to Rachel.

Leah put a hand on Rachel's shoulder to get her attention.

"Where's Sarah?"

"She's sleeping."

"Has there been any change in her appearance?"

Rachel nodded as she looked down at her hands. Hannah sat next to her after Leah walked up the stairs.

"It's going to be fine."

"That's easy for you to say. She isn't your daughter," Rachel said harshly.

"I guess I deserve that, but this isn't the first time that more than one person from a family has joined the pack."

"I know that. I just wish that it wasn't her. There's nothing that I can do to help her, and it kills me," she sobbed.

"I called Paul. I figured that you would need him here," Sue said, coming to stand in front of them.

"Thank you," Rachel said with a nod.

"I should go. This is something that you and Paul need to work out with Sue and Leah," Hannah said as she stood to go.

"I'll see you later," Rachel said hugging her.

Hannah rubbed her back as Paul's truck pulled up in the driveway. He walked up to them with a worried expression. Sue hadn't explained what was going on just that he needed to come home as fast as he could.

"What's going on?" he asked getting their attention.

"Let go of Hannah Honey," Sue said encouragingly.

Leah came out to see Sue and Paul trying to pull Hannah from Rachel's grasp.

"Pray that it doesn't happen to Noah, or God forbid Stacia," Rachel said quietly.

"I will," Hannah said before walking away.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Paul asked.

"I will," Sarah said from inside.

Paul looked towards the door as Sarah stepped out. He hadn't seen her that much since the pack had formed. He took her in now, knowing exactly what was going on. He sat down next to Rachel, pulling her into his arms. She started crying again as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"Mom I didn't mean to upset you," Sarah said quietly.

"This is not your fault. It's not like you knew it was going to happen," Sue said reassuringly.

"You've still got a while before the transformation is complete," Leah said putting a hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"I can't believe this is happening," Paul said.

"I'm going to take her to the clearing. Sam and the pack need to know. Mom, will you stay with them? They probably have some questions for you," Leah said as she led Sarah around her parents and down the steps.

"That's our baby," Rachel said through tears.

Sarah didn't know what to make of the situation. She was scared of what everyone else would think. Leah had given her some good advice. She was going to be treated differently because she was a girl and she was going to have to prove herself to them. She didn't think that it would be too hard, she'd known CJ her entire life and Marcus was one of her closest friends. Joe wouldn't let the others give her trouble because that was the way he had always been. He had been looking out for her since she had been born. Things were going to be just fine.

XXXX

Quil was stepping down officially at the bonfire. He would pronounce Joe as the alpha and appoint CJ as his second in command. This was a huge milestone in his life. It wasn't as big as becoming a father or even getting married, but it ranked up there. He held Simon close to him while Claire finished getting ready. She was trying to slip her shoes on and they were working against her.

"Let me help you," he said setting Simon on the bed.

"Thank you," she said in a flat tone.

"I know that you hate having me help you, but it's only for another couple of months."

"I don't hate that you're helping me. I just wish that I could do it myself."

"Do you want to know why they wouldn't go on?"

"Why?"

"They don't match for one thing. They're also both for your right foot," he said with a lopsided grin.

"What would I do without you?"

"Your left foot would be in a lot of pain. You never know, you could have started a new trend," he said with a shrug.

Claire laughed as she shook her head. He found the match for the one she wanted to wear and slipped them on her feet then tied them for her. He helped her off the bed before picking Simon up and following her out of the room. He slung an arm over her shoulders before pulling her to him.

"You have the best dad in the world. Don't you Buddy?" she asked Simon.

"Yeah," Simon said as he nodded his head.

Quil smiled as he led them to the car. He put Simon in his car seat before getting in. He helped Claire with her seatbelt before starting the car. Tonight was going to be the start of something new for him. It was going to take some getting used to, but he knew that it was for the best.

XXXX

Bella sat with Edward after checking on Maggie. She had woken up sick that morning and had somehow managed to pass it on to Christina. Jacob and Will had left less than hour ago to go to the bonfire. Edward had yet to tell Bella why he had come over. She watched him curiously as he picked at a piece of lint. She had never seen him like this before.

"Is something wrong?" she asked breaking the silence.

"Why would anything be wrong?"

"You aren't acting like yourself."

"Mom, I'm feeling better, can I come down?" Christina called from the stairs.

Bella stood from the couch with a sigh and headed upstairs. She took in Christina's appearance and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Not only did Christina look like she had never been sick, but she looked like she was ready to go out somewhere.

"Did you fake being sick so you wouldn't have to go tonight?"

"You took my temperature this morning and then again this afternoon. Did you not hear me throwing up?"

"How are you better and Maggie is still sick?"

"I don't know," Christina said with a shrug.

"You can hold a thermometer up to a lamp and make it look like you have a temperature, and you can pour a glass of water into the toilet to make it sound like your throwing up if you make the right noises. So, you could have faked being sick," Bella said giving her a stern look.

"Please don't tell dad. It's just that I never get to see Edward. I miss him," she said with a pleading look.

"I'll let it slide just this once because we have company. Don't do it again."

"Thanks Mom," she said hugging her.

"Go downstairs. I'm going to see if you sister needs anything."

Edward met Christina at the bottom of the stairs.

"I don't like that you're so good at lying to her."

"It's easier to lie to her than tell the truth. She would tell my dad and he would never let us see each other."

"We will tell them soon. He will understand, I assure you," Edward said, brushing his fingers down her cheek.

"And she won't?"

"She will, she will just be upset about losing you."

"I'm going to become a vampire?" Christina asked with wide eyes.

"I will not say anything else," he said giving her a stern look.

"I don't care. We'll be together," she said hugging him.

"She's coming," he whispered.

"She's seen us hug before. Relax," she said against his ear.

Bella came downstairs a few seconds later. Edward led Christina towards the living room with an arm around her waist.

"How are you doing in school?" he asked her.

"Okay, I guess. I'm not doing so great in history," she said with a shrug.

"I passed it on. Jake isn't any help," Bella said with a laugh.

"I can help her if you'd like."

"You would do that?" Bella asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I did help you."

"I guess we can make an exception and let her come over to your house a couple of days a week since it's for school. I'll have to talk to Jake."

"You said that Jake and Will are at the Reservation tonight?"

"They're having a bonfire to introduce the new pack."

"How many are there so far?"

"Four, as far as I know," she answered.

"Which ones?" he questioned.

"Joe, CJ, Marcus, and Leah's oldest son Curtis, I don't think you've seen him since he was a baby."

"No," he said with a shake of his head.

"Can we call dad and ask him now?" Christina asked hopefully.

"It should be something that we talk about privately. I'll talk to him about it tonight, I promise."

"It's just that I thought that we could get started tonight."

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I guess that you can work in the dining room."

"Thanks Mom."

Bella stood at the same time Edward did. She gave him a grateful smile before crossing the room to stand in front of him.

"I appreciate you doing this. We were afraid that we were going to have to hire a tutor. Not that we won't pay you, but she doesn't deal well with people she doesn't know telling her what to do."

"She's like her dad," Edward said with a nod.

"Yeah," Bella said with a laugh.

"It's not a problem Bella. I'm happy to do it," he said hugging her lightly.

The front door opened and Will walked inside with Hannah not far behind him.

"Where's Jake?"

"Still at the bonfire, Rachel and Paul got some news tonight that they aren't handling well."

"Sarah's joining the pack mom!" Will said excitedly.

Bella gasped before turning her attention back to Hannah to stare at her with wide eyes.

"No one knows how it happened," Hannah said quietly.

"Will get ready for bed," Bella said sternly.

"It's only seven-thirty!" he said complained.

"You can watch TV in my room after you take a bath."

"Okay," he said before trudging up the stairs.

"Stacia's got what Maggie has and I left her with Noah, so I'm gonna go. I'll see you later."

"Thanks for bringing him home."

"Not a problem," she said with a smile.

Christina came down a minute later and Edward followed her into the dining room. Bella heard the sliding doors click shut as she sat on the couch. She found an old black and white movie with Judy Garland in it before lying on the couch. She didn't hear any noise coming from the dining room which meant that for once Christina was listening to what someone told her.

Edward sat next to Christina as she worked on her homework. He helped her when she needed it, but he didn't have to do much. He was content to just sit next to her silently.

"I can't concentrate with you staring at me like that."

"You sound like your mother," he said with a chuckle.

"She told you that?"

"No, she never said that to me. She used to tell your dad that."

"She still does. He can stare at her for hours sometimes."

"That's what happens when you're in love."

"Since you put it that way I don't mind," she said before kissing his cheek.

He looked over her work before pulling her into his lap.

"Do you regret lying to your parents?"

"I regret lying to my mom. She's stronger than you think she is. I think that she would understand if we told her what is going on. I've gotten so used to lying to my dad that it's like second nature."

"You shouldn't lie to him so much. He does love you."

"He doesn't act like it," she said with a scoff.

"That's because you don't think before you do things. Jacob may not be able to read my mind anymore but I can still read his. Ease up on him."

"I'll try."

"Don't try, do it. He won't be so hard on you if you do."

She nodded before laying her head on his shoulder.

"Your dad is home. Your mom is talking to him about me tutoring you."

"What is he saying?"

"He says that it's fine. You can even come over to my house."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"See? He's not such a bad guy," he said with an encouraging smile.

He pushed her off of him lightly as someone came down the hall. Jacob opened the doors looking between the two of them. Christina had been able to get back into her chair just before he pushed open the doors.

"It's nine thirty."

"We're just finishing up," Edward said with a polite smile.

"How are Aunt Rachel and Uncle Paul?"

"They're not doing so great."

"What's going on?" Edward asked.

"Rachel is having a hard time handling the fact that both Joe and Sarah are a part of the pack. Sarah isn't done going through the changing process and Rachel had a mental breakdown tonight."

"Sue said that she was the same way," Bella said coming to stand next to him.

"I should go. This is a family conversation."

"When should Christina come by?" Bella asked.

"I can work around her schedule."

"I'm free Monday after school."

"That's fine."

"Be home by six," Jacob said.

"I will."

"I'll see you on Monday," Edward said before walking out of the room.

"I'll walk you out," Christina said following him.

The two of them were at his car where they stood side by side.

"Are they watching?"

"No. They're talking about Rachel and Sarah."

She leaned brushing her lips against his in a feather light kiss. He pulled away with a smile.

"I'll see you later," he said opening his car door.

"Bye," she said with a wave.

She watched him leave wishing that she could tell someone what was going on. She was happier than she had ever been and she had no one to share it with. It was times like this when she wished that she could call Sarah. Maybe she could sneak down in the middle of the night to get the house phone. She hadn't told Sarah what was going on. She could trust Sarah to keep it to herself. Sarah owed her; she had kept Sarah and Noah's relationship a secret for six months before they finally told anyone that they were together.


	5. Life Goes On

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Sarah stood on the cliff behind her brother and friends watching them goof off. She had never been up here before she changed. Up until a few weeks ago she had been terrified of heights. Joe had brought her up here in the dead of night the other night telling her that she had nothing to fear because if she chose to jump that he would jump with her, and he had. After that first time she hadn't needed his help. Someone yelling brought her from her thoughts.

Marcus came jogging back up in the incline a few minutes later. He shook water from himself a few inches from her, spraying her with water. She sighed before giving him a pointed look.

"Aren't you going to jump?" he asked.

She shook her head while watching Curtis and Joe pull a reluctant CJ towards the cliff. They pushed him over and a few seconds later CJ's laughter filled the air.

"You don't have to be self-conscious. We're all friends."

"I'm wearing a white tank top and khaki shorts. You are not making me jump."

"You can borrow my shirt," he said picking it up from off the ground.

The muscle tee that fit him like a glove was a little too big on her but at least she didn't feel awkward about jumping anymore. She stepped to the edge and Curtis and Joe gave her room. She pushed off on her heels, diving head first before spreading out her arms out in front of her. A smile spread across her face as she flew through the air.

The water was cool against her heated skin and she heaved a deep sigh of relief as she swam back towards shore. She saw a car that she knew all too well and the person who owned the car was leaning against the back bumper.

"Hey," Noah said.

"Hey."

"I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been busy."

"I know," he said with a nod.

She stared him directly in the eye praying that she would feel something, anything. She let out a sigh of frustration when nothing happened. His face fell, knowing exactly why she was frustrated. He had been hoping the same thing. Now that he knew that he had no chance with her he could work on putting his life back together. They talked as they walked up the incline.

"So are we friends now?" he pondered.

"We've always been friends," she said with a laugh.

"It hasn't seemed like that recently."

"I was scared that you were going to phase. I wanted to keep my distance from you unless I knew for sure if I was your imprint. I didn't want to get hurt again. I didn't plan on you being the one to get hurt. I'm sorry."

"I'm not hurt. You don't need to be sorry."

Joe and CJ were watching them as they made it to the top. Noah sat on a log huddled inside his jacket.

"You aren't going to jump?" Curtis asked.

"It's freezing and I could catch pneumonia. Once it warms up I'll jump whenever you want me to."

"You've got to remember, he's not one of us," CJ said giving Curtis a hard look.

"It's not his fault. Leave him alone," Sarah said sticking up for Curtis.

"Knock it off," Joe said sternly.

They were silent as the five of them gathered their things. CJ and Noah left together while Sarah and Joe went on patrol. Marcus and Curtis walked back to Seth's together.

"So what's the story with Sarah and Noah?"

"They used to date. They broke up a few months ago."

"So they were hoping that if one of them phased that they would imprint on the other?"

"Pretty much, my dad told them that the chances of it happening were small but they didn't listen."

"Has anyone ever imprinted on someone that they were close to?"

"Bella and Jake were best friends before he imprinted on her. Embry had a crush on Hannah for four years before he imprinted on her. CJ and Cassie have been best friends since they were babies. Those are the only three times that I've heard of it happening."

The rest of the walk was silent as they let what had just happened sink in. Neither knew what to make of the situation. Even though Marcus had seen Noah and Sarah's relationship first hand he only knew Sarah's side of the story. He had never been close to Noah. The situation that they had put themselves in was far from worked out. They had a lot of things to deal with before they could be as close as they were before.

XXXX

CJ sat at his parent's kitchen table with his dad sitting across from him. Noah had yet to tell their parents what had happened and CJ didn't like being the bearer of bad news.

"Did something happen today? I noticed that Noah was acting different," Embry asked.

"He saw Sarah for the first time since she joined the pack."

"She's imprinted on him?"

"No."

"I figured that something good had happened. He's been on the phone with her ever since he got home."

"He's good at pretending that everything is fine. If she imprints he will more than likely fall back into the dark hole that he just climbed out of."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Keep him away from her."

"That would make things worse," Embry said shaking his head.

"I don't like the idea either Dad, but it's the only way of making sure that he's okay."

"What if he joins the pack?"

"We don't know for sure that he's going to. He hasn't shown any signs yet."

"I'll talk to your mom about it," Embry said with a sigh.

"Maybe he could come and live with me."

"Do you think that's a good idea? Cassie will be over there and he'll be reminded of the fact that Sarah didn't imprint on him."

"I can ask Cassie not to come over when he's there. She'll understand."

"Let me try something first."

"What?"

"I can have someone who's been through this before come and talk to him."

"Leah joined the pack Dad," CJ reminded him.

"I wasn't talking about Leah," he said shaking his head.

"Who did you have in mind?" he pressed.

"You have to trust me," Embry said standing from the table.

CJ stared at him until he walked out of the room. It wasn't like his dad to keep things to himself. Whatever he was planning must be something that no one else was going to like.

XXXX

Christina stared through the windshield squinting when the sun shined in her eyes. She pulled down the visor as another song ended on her IPod. She groaned in frustration when a song that she didn't like came on. Will had gotten hold of it and put songs on it again. She grabbed it pushing the next button repeatedly. She looked down at it with a sigh. It was in lock mode. She fought to change it one handed while watching the road.

When that didn't work she held it with both hands while steering with her wrist. In the process she crossed into the next lane without realizing it. The eighteen wheeler that had been turning a bend in the road only thirty seconds before was now less than two hundred feet away from her. She was thinking of all the ways that she could get back at Will while she changed the song. She placed the IPod back in the cup holder before the honking of a horn registered.

She looked up in horror when she saw the truck stopped a less than twenty feet away from her. She jerked the wheel and the car plowed into the mountain on the other side. The driver threw open his door and climbed down out of the cab to surmise the damage. The car was leaking fluids and pretty soon it would be on fire. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed 911.

Paramedics and Police were there within minutes while a police officer got information from the driver.

"You said you were able to stop before she got to you?" The officer asked.

"She didn't put one scratch on my truck. I honked six times before she finally looked up."

"What was she doing?"

"She was looking at something she had in her hands. It looked like it could have been a phone."

"We'll search the car. We're going to need you to stay for a little while longer."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"We aren't sure. The car hit the mountain head on."

"I found her Driver's license," Another officer said.

"What about her phone?"

"It was in her purse which was closed beneath the passenger seat."

"Did you find anything that looked like it could be mistaken for a phone within easy reach of her?"

"I found a smashed IPod underneath the drivers' seat. It could have been thrown there."

"There you go," The driver said.

"You can go now sir."

"Look through the phone and see if you can get in touch with her parents."

"There's an in case of emergency number. It's neither of her parents."

"How do you know?"

"The person doesn't have the same last name. Why does the last name Cullen sound familiar?" The officer pondered.

"Just call them," The first officer said.

Firefighters arrived while the second officer was on the phone. The first officer caught them up on what was going on and told them to have their hoses ready just in case the car caught fire.

"Is she responsive?"

"No."

"Have you called her parents?"

"We found an in case of emergency number."

The fire chief nodded and the second officer came back.

"I found out why the name sounded familiar. I went to school with the guy. He's going to call the girl's parents."

"Good job Officer Crawley."

Officer Crawley set up a road block then directed traffic. Jacob was the first one to get there. The first officer was talking to him when Bella pulled off to the side of the road.

"Where's Edward?" he asked.

"He's getting in touch with Carlisle. What happened?"

"She was messing with her IPod and didn't notice that she had veered into the wrong lane. She tried to get back in the other lane but the tires couldn't grab the road because it's still wet from the rain a little while ago," Jacob said.

"I keep telling her not to mess with that stupid thing when she's driving. Is she alright?" she asked the officer.

"She isn't responsive. She's lost a lot of blood. The paramedics need your permission before they can administer to her," The officer said.

"They can do whatever they think is necessary," Bella said with a nod.

The police officer nodded before walking away.

"Where are Will and Maggie?"

"I dropped them off at Sue's."

"Did you tell them anything?"

"No. I think that we should do it together."

"You're right."

"Bella Swan?" Tyler asked.

Bella lifted her head slowly, her eyes meeting Tyler's. She gave him a helpless look and he gave her an encouraging smile.

"We're going to take good care of your daughter."

"Thank you."

"I thought that she looked familiar when I checked her license. I just thought that it was a coincidence."

"We're going to need the two of you to come with us to the hospital," The first officer said.

"You ride with her. I'll follow you. I'll call someone about getting your car," Jacob said.

She handed Jacob the keys before following Tyler to the ambulance. She looked back to Jacob to see him place the keys behind the front driver's side tire while he talked on the phone. She looked down at Christina as the ambulance doors shut. Tears pricked her eyes as she saw her daughter with tubes up her nose and running from her arm. She took a deep breath to calm herself as the paramedics asked her questions. She answered them as best as she could.

At the hospital Bella filled out paperwork while Jacob sat next to her on the phone. He was in the process of telling Sue what was going on when Embry and Hannah came in with Sarah and Rachel following them.

"Is she alright?" Rachel asked.

"The doctor hasn't come out to talk to us yet," Bella said quietly.

"You said that they called Edward first?" Embry asked.

"He's the one who called me and then I called Jake."

"I wonder why they did that," Hannah said.

"I don't know," Bella said shaking her head.

Edward stepped out of the elevator with Carlisle an hour later. Edward sat on the other side of Bella while Carlisle walked to the nurse's desk. He came to kneel in front of Bella and Jacob with a grave look.

"She flat lined while they were trying to give her a blood transfusion. I need your permission before I can go back to help her."

"Do whatever you have to do," Jacob said.

Bella gave him a wide eyed look, knowing what he meant.

"Can I talk to you alone?" she asked him once Carlisle had walked away.

"I know that you don't like the idea of her being one of them. But I don't want to bury another child. I know that you don't either."

Bella let out a ragged breath. She hadn't thought about the baby she had lost in years. She didn't want Christina to die either, but she didn't like the idea of her becoming a vampire.

"Can I talk to the two of you? There's something that you need to know. It would change your opinion on things Bella," Edward said quietly.

"I didn't mean what I said to be hurtful," Bella said as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I know you didn't," he said with a smile.

"Come on," Jacob said taking Bella's hand.

Edward followed them to the elevators once Rachel promised Bella that she would come to get them if anything changed. They sat in the pavilion outside the front entrance. Bella sat on one side of the table while Jacob and Edward sat on the other.

"Before I say what I need to say I want you to know that I have Christina's best interest at heart."

"We know," Jacob said with a nod.

"I was the one who told her that she shouldn't tell you about what is going on with her."

"You know?" Bella asked.

"I wanted to wait until the right time. That time is now."

"The two of you have been seeing each other, haven't you?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Edward said with a nod.

"What?" Bella asked in shock.

"I told you when we were together that I felt a pull towards you that I couldn't explain. I never knew why you were the one that I chose to let in. Not long after you left for college Alice started having visions. She couldn't see them before because Jacob clouded her vision."

"What kind of visions?" Jacob asked.

"Christina is my mate. I knew everything about her long before she was born."

Bella placed her face in her hands as she tried to control her breathing. The tears that hadn't fallen earlier were back and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Why are you just now telling us about this?" Jacob asked.

"Because I didn't want you to think that I would change her unless I had to."

"Well, you have his permission so go ahead," Bella said bitterly.

"Bells," Jacob said coming around the side of the table.

"Don't," she said as she put up a hand to stop him.

"I did not do this to hurt you Bella. I want you to know that she knows that I love her with everything that I have."

"You told me that once too," Bella said.

"And I meant it, just like I mean it now."

"Can we talk alone?" Jacob asked.

"Of course," Edward said before standing.

Bella placed her elbows on the table and her hands fisted in her hair. Jacob rubbed her back as her body shook. She sobbed uncontrollably as Jacob whispered in her ear.

"Why would you tell him that he could do it?"

"I didn't tell him, I told Carlisle. I didn't know what was going to happen."

"It is something that we should have talked about together," she said as she tried to catch her breath.

"I wasn't thinking about that. All I was thinking about was there was a way to save her. I can't go through another one of our kids dying."

"I can't either, but this is different. She isn't a baby, we raised her. We didn't have time to get used to being parents before Daniel died."

Rachel walked towards them taking them in. She knew that the decision that they had just made hadn't been an easy one. It wasn't one that she would have made and she knew that Paul wouldn't want Joe or Sarah to be put in that situation.

"Edward was allowed to go back there. Carlisle says that if they had been able to save her that she would have been paralyzed from the waist down."

"There was a way that he would have been able to save her?" Bella asked.

"He says that there was a ten percent chance that the surgery that he was planning to do would have kept her alive."

"So Edward is the one who is going to change her?" Jacob asked.

"He knew that the two of you would want it that way. Carlisle says that she'll appear to be dead, but in reality she'll be going through the change. Carlisle wants to move her to the house as soon as possible."

"They couldn't even wait for us to have a chance to see her," Bella said with a sigh.

"They didn't have a choice, she flat lined again while Edward was out here with you. She could have died and then Edward wouldn't have been able to change her at all," Rachel said.

Bella fell against Jacob as Rachel sat on the other side of her. She wrapped her arms around Bella and Jacob while he wrapped his arms around Bella. His eyes met hers over Bella's shoulder giving her a worried look. She gave him an encouraging smile as she rubbed his back. Bella continued crying in between them, not caring that people were starting to stare. Neither of them knew what to do. Bella was still mad at Jacob for what he had done, yet she needed him to be there for her to lean on. He knew that if they hadn't been in public she would have pushed him away without thinking twice.

XXXX

Edward watched Christina in concern. She was too still, to calm. He was insane with worry. He thought that maybe he had been too late. No one could get through to him, not even Jasper. It wasn't until he had locked the door and then put a barricade in front of it that he finally settled down. He sat across from her, taking in the quiet. He heard something faint, not able to believe what he was hearing. Her heart was beating. It was faint, which meant that she was close to the end of the transformation.

There was a knock at the door and he growled in response.

"I thought that you'd like to know that Jacob has called here five times in the past three days. He wants you to come over before Christina wakes up. I can see it happening before nightfall," Alice said from the hall.

Edward shoved his hands through his hair before moving the desk away from the door. Alice gave him a sympathetic look as he opened the door.

"I promise that I will call you as soon as I see signs of her waking up."

"You'd better," he threatened.

He walked down the hall passing Jasper and Emmett. They both nodded in recognition before letting him pass. He planned on being back long before nightfall. He would stay long enough to reassure Jacob and Bella than he would be home hopefully before Christina even knew that he was gone.

XXXX

She felt like she was seeing everything from underwater. Every memory that she had shared with her family flashed before her eyes. Then all of the sudden there was silence. After a few moments of silence she became increasingly aware of the sounds around her. Air whooshing through an unknown vent, there were children somewhere nearby. She could hear their tinkling laughter. She felt as if she had slept for an entire day. She was groggy and unaware of her surroundings.

She opened her eyes, not recognizing the room that she was in at first. After a minute she realized that she was in Carlisle's office. The furniture had been pushed against the wall to make room for the bed that she laid in. She tried to clear her throat only to realize that she couldn't. Her eyes widened in panic as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was alone, where was everyone else?

Everything around her seemed clearer. Her throat felt like she had eaten glass then washed it down with a glass of nails. She slowly made her way to the door to hear someone on the other side. She opened the door to find Esme with her hand raised to open the door.

"Oh! Well hello," she said with a bright smile.

Christina gave her a tight lipped smile before giving her a curious look.

"I'll get you a pen and paper. You can't talk," she said before walking away.

She came back seconds later and handed the paper and pen to her.

"I'm going to ask you a couple of questions. I want you to answer them as best as you can."

Christina nodded as she sat back down on the gurney.

"How does your throat feel?"

_Scratchy, it hurts._ Christina wrote.

"It doesn't burn?"

Christina shook her head as she looked down at the floor. She wrote again and Esme waited patiently.

_Where is Edward?_

"He is with your mother and father. He's going to be very sorry that he wasn't here when you woke up. How do you feel other than your throat?"

_Fine; h__ow long should this last?_

"Not very long, it means that you need to feed."

Christina's eyes widened at the thought of eating a live animal. Thoughts of Zeus and her cat Felix went through her head as Esme continued talking.

"You don't need to be worried. Edward won't make you eat unless you are ready. We have some blood in the refrigerator if you'd like it. We thought that you might have a problem with hunting for right now."

Christina gave her a sheepish but grateful smile.

"Don't worry. I had trouble adjusting too. It won't be long before you're chasing after your first deer," Esme said patting her arm before walking away.

More voices could be heard in the hall once Esme left the room.

"Hi Aunt Christina," Carrie said from the door.

Christina smiled at the little girl before waving. Technically the girl was older than her by over fifteen years but she would forever have the cherub face of a nine year old. Her blond curls framed her face and fell into her golden eyes.

"Can I sit with you?"

Christina nodded before Carrie crossed the room. Christina helped her onto the gurney before Carrie climbed into her lap.

"I'm glad that you are one of us. I was hoping that it would be Maggie though."

"Carrie sweetheart, leave her alone," Rosalie said from the door.

She held her youngest child in her arms. A nomad clan had found the baby less than a week ago and apparently the parents had been drained. They had no idea who had done it; Alice couldn't even see who it had been. They had decided to wait until the baby was older before changing him. Rosalie had named him Michael after her father.

"Mommy she said that I could come in," Carrie said with a pout.

"She needs to eat," Rosalie said with a smile.

"I'll see you later," Carrie said as Christina set her down.

"Welcome to the family Christina," Rosalie said with a warm smile.

Christina hoped that Maggie never had to go through this. It wasn't for everyone and she knew that her younger sister wouldn't be able to handle it. She heard someone else coming down the hall as she stared down at the floor again. A sense of calm washed over her letting her know who it was.

Jasper came in with a Styrofoam cup. She took it from him and the thick red liquid sloshed in the cup. She took the pen and scribbled something on the paper.

_What is it?_

"It would be best if you didn't know what it is. That way you won't be apprehensive about drinking it," Jasper said in a soothing voice.

Christina heaved a deep sigh even though she didn't need to. There were so many things that she would need to adjust to. She slowly brought the cup to her lips taking a tentative sip. It didn't taste like the blood she had tasted when Maggie had busted her lip a few months ago. It was sweet, almost like honey. She took a longer pull, feeling the pain in her throat subside. She heard something outside and immediately went to the window.

"Is it Edward?"

"Yes," she said with wide eyes.

Even her voice sounded different. Almost like Carrie and Michael's laughter.

"Is this how I sound to all of you?"

"Yes," he said with a laugh.

"There are so many changes," she said in wonder.

"You'll get used to them. I have faith in you," Jasper said as he walked to the door.

He stopped just before walking out.

"You'll need to finish that," he said gesturing to the cup.

She nodded as she put the cup to her lips again. She heard another set of footsteps as she drank the last of the blood. She wiped her mouth quickly knowing exactly who was coming to see her. Edward stepped into the room quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Hi," she said.

He gave her a warm smile as he walked to her. He cupped her face in her hands taking her in.

"Alice has never let me see how you would look once you had changed. Now I know why."

"I haven't seen myself yet."

"I can tell you how you look. You're beautiful," he said brushing his thumbs over her cheeks.

She smiled shyly before leaning into the touch. She kissed his wrist tenderly before putting her forehead to his. She had been waiting for this for almost a year and now that it had happened it seemed surreal. She smiled broadly before brushing her lips to his.

The kiss was like no other kiss they had ever shared. He held nothing back and he kissed her roughly. She gasped as his tongue slipped past her lips. Her fingers threaded into his hair as the kiss deepened. He pulled away with a chuckle.

"Save some for later. You have a visitor," he said quietly.

"Is my mom here?"

"No. It's your dad. I want to warn you that you might be tempted. The throat irritation will be back."

"Will you stay with me?"

"Of course," he said tenderly.

He opened the door and a few seconds later Jacob stood in the hall. Christina looked down at her hands, not able to look at her father. She didn't want to see the shame or hurt in his eyes that she thought would be there.

"You don't have anything to be ashamed of. I'm not mad at you."

"You aren't?" she asked looking at him in confusion.

"No."

"Where is mom?"

"She's having trouble adjusting to things."

"Is she mad at me?"

"No. She wasn't prepared for something like this."

"I tried to tell the two of you so many times."

"I understand."

"I'm sorry Dad," she said finally meeting his eyes.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about. Your mom will understand that too once she gets over the fact that you won't be coming home."

"Do you feel any different?" Edward asked.

"No. I just want to hug him."

Jacob wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest.

"I can't cry, but know that I am on the inside."

"You are your mother's daughter," Jacob said kissing her hair.

Another set of smaller, pale arms surrounded her

"Alice, not now," Edward admonished.

"She's fine," Jacob said.

"Hello," Alice said brightly.

"Hi," Christina said with a laugh.

"Hello Handsome."

"Alice," Jacob said with a nod.

"Where's the rest of the family?"

"At home," Jacob said quietly.

"I'll just have to come by and see my other handsome fella later."

"Will would love to see you."

Jasper came in to pull Alice away and Carlisle came in a few seconds later.

"Hello Christina."

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"I hear that you had a smooth transition. I won't even need to stay."

"I feel fine."

"I'm sure that Edward can help you when you need it."

Christina nodded as Carlisle gestured for Jacob to follow him. Edward draped an arm over her shoulders pulling her to him. Their lives together officially started today. His mind went to the ring that he kept hidden in his room. It was the ring that his father had given to his mother when he had asked her to marry him. It was time that it was passed down.


	6. You Can Have it all and Still Be Unhappy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the wonderful and talented Stephenie Meyer and I bow down to her awesomeness.**

It had been three weeks since Christina had been changed and Bella still refused to talk to Jacob. She never came out of their room; Sue had come to stay with them so that she could help Jacob take care of Maggie and Will who were starting to ask about their sister. Jacob felt like he was sleeping alone in their bed at night. Bella would turn her back to him and stay that way until he would get up to get ready for the day. She hadn't showered, but at least she changed her clothes. Sue had tried everything she could think of to get Bella to talk to her and nothing had worked. She was tempted to call Renee and ask her to come down.

Sue was laying down the afternoon that Maggie decided to go in and see Bella. Will was in his room doing his homework when Maggie quietly entered the room. Bella was sitting in the window seat looking out the window at the rain steadily rapping against it. Maggie sat on the floor underneath the seat before opening her coloring book. She colored quietly until the door opened again.

"Maggie honey, you shouldn't be in here," Sue said quietly.

"I miss my Mommy," Maggie said not looking up from what she was doing.

"I know you do sweetheart, but you need to leave her alone."

"I'm not bothering her," she said quietly.

"Just don't cause too much trouble."

"Yes ma'am."

"Maybe we'll go out to dinner when your dad gets home. We can go and see Christina if you want."

Jacob hadn't liked having to tell the kids about what had happened alone. He had wanted Bella to be with him. He couldn't handle Maggie's constant crying and asking for her sister on his own. He had stayed home for a week and a half to help them get used to things before he had to go back to work. That was when he'd had to call Sue.

Half an hour later Jacob came home to find Maggie still in the room. She sat in front of Bella on the window seat with her arms resting on the sill with her chin resting on top of them.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked picking her up.

"I wanted to see Mommy," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I asked you not to come in here," he said sternly.

"I'm sorry Daddy. I miss her."

"I do too," he said kissing her temple.

"Why is she sad?"

"She misses Christina."

"Maybe she can come with us when we go to see her."

"I don't think so Baby. She's not ready."

He carried her out of the room to see Will in the hall. He looked up at them with a hopeful look. Jacob shook his head giving him an apologetic look. Will's shoulders sagged as he continued to his room. Jacob took Maggie down to the kitchen and told her to set the table for dinner. He walked into his office and shut the door before picking up the phone. He didn't like what he was about to do but something had to be done.

"Hello?"

"Hey Esme, is Carlisle there?"

"Sure."

The phone was passed and Carlisle's voice came over the line.

"I need a favor."

"I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Can you give me the number of that therapist that you were telling me about?"

"I thought that you weren't going to make the kids go."

"I'm not. I'm making Bella go."

"She hasn't gotten any better?"

"No."

"You're making the right decision, it may not seem like it now, but once she's better I know that she'll thank you."

"I hope so," Jacob said with a sigh.

He wrote down the information and called to set up an appointment. He knew that Bella would fight him about going, but he was going to make her go even if he had to carry her kicking and screaming.

XXXX

Christina walked through the house wanting to remember every square inch of it. She had been surprised when her dad called her and asked her to come over. She hadn't been able to say no when he said that Maggie and Will missed her. She would watch them while he took Bella to her appointment.

She could hear her dad upstairs pleading with her mom to get in the shower. He had asked her to stay downstairs and keep her brother and sister out of the way until they left. He didn't want Christina to see Bella or vice versa. He didn't know how either of them would react. Christina asked about Bella every time they talked on the phone or he came over. He knew that it hurt her that her mom wasn't ready to see her even though she missed her so much that it ate her up inside.

The front door opened and she could hear Will and Maggie in the foyer. She made her way down the hall quietly and cringed when Maggie shrieked happily. Christina put a finger to her lips and Maggie started jumping up and down quietly.

"Mom doesn't know that I'm here," she explained.

"What are you doing here?" Will asked.

"I'm watching the two of you while Dad takes Mom to the doctor."

"Mom's going to the doctor?" Maggie asked with wide eyes.

"So she can get better, right?" Will asked.

Christina nodded as she ushered the two of them into the kitchen. She helped Maggie up onto a stool at the island while Will started his homework. She was making them both a bowl of ice cream when their dad came into the room.

"We're leaving. I really appreciate you doing this," he said from the door.

"It's not a problem. I've missed them."

"We've missed you too Christy," Maggie said in between spoonful's of ice cream.

Jacob pushed away from the door and Christina could hear her mom coming down the stairs. Bella was silent as they left and a few minutes later Christina heard the car pull out of the driveway.

Christina was helping Maggie with her homework an hour later when the doorbell rang. Will ran to answer it and the smell of wet dog wafted into the house. Christina scrunched up her nose in disgust while Will talked excitedly with the person at the door.

"Maggie, where is Zeus?"

"In the back yard," she answered without looking up from her homework.

The person at the door finally spoke and she was excited to hear Sarah's voice. She jumped up from the floor and ran through the living room. She came to a skidding halt when the smell overwhelmed her.

"Ew," she said with a shudder.

"You don't smell that great either," Sarah said rolling her eyes.

"She doesn't stink, neither do you," Will said in confusion.

"Ugh," Christina said shaking her head.

"What does she smell like?" Will asked.

"Wet dog," Christina said.

"Sweet nectar," Sarah answered.

Will looked between the two of them with scrutiny before shrugging his shoulders. Marcus came walking up the walkway a few seconds later.

"What are the two of you doing here?"

"You're our best friend. We wanted to see you," Sarah said giving her a pointed look.

"That smell is going to be a problem," she said shaking her head.

"We can't help it any more than you can," Marcus said rolling his eyes.

"Do you wanna play video games? I've got the new Call of Duty," Will asked Marcus.

"Maybe in a little while; I want to spend time with your sister first."

"Did you finish your homework Will?" Christina asked.

"Yeah," he said with a bob of his head.

"You can go outside and play then."

Sarah followed Christina into the living room while Marcus went to the kitchen to get something to drink. He stood in the archway of the living room while the girls hovered over Maggie, helping her with her homework.

"You know what? Marc is better at Math than we are. Will you help her?" Christina asked as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"Sure," he said with a nod.

The girls sat on the couch as he made his way across the room. He sat down across from Maggie at the coffee table and looked over what she was doing. It looked fairly simple, considering she was only in the second grade.

"This is second grade math, and the two of you couldn't figure it out?" he asked in a teasing manner.

"Shut up and help her," Sarah said throwing a pillow at his head.

"This is really easy Mags, you'll pick it up in no time," he said before lifting his head to finally look at her.

His breath hitched and his heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. His eyes widened in surprise as he tried to get his breathing back under control.

"Marcus, are you okay? You don't look so good," Maggie asked with concern.

"I'm fine," he said trying to laugh off what had just happened.

Christina and Sarah both looked at him with curiosity. They had never seen him act the way he was acting before. Nothing ever fazed him, like Sam and Seth he had a no nonsense outlook on life. To see him like this meant something was really wrong. What could it be?

Marcus finished helping Maggie before saying that he had to go. He had a feeling that he knew what had happened. He had to go home and talk to his dad.

XXXX

Bella sat across from the therapist while Jacob explained what was going on. She knew that she was acting like a child but she didn't care. She had refused to say one word since the receptionist had told them that they could come back. She sat with her shoulders against the back of the chair and her hands in her lap as she looked down at them in shame. Everything that Jacob was saying were things that her dad had said to her after Edward left.

"Mr. Black, could I talk to your wife alone? I think that would be best," The doctor said, giving Bella a concerned look.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Jacob said shaking his head.

"Then I suggest that you don't say anything while I try to talk to your wife. Bella, I know that you are hurting. But you need to realize something. You have two young children at home who need both of their parents. Your husband cannot raise them with the ghost of their sister and an absent mother living in the house."

Bella sighed as tears started to form in her eyes. Her ability to raise her children was in question. She couldn't let that happen again. She wiped her eyes as the doctor held out a tissue box.

"Tears are good, but talking would be better," she said with a kind smile.

Bella shook her head as she took a couple of tissues. She dabbed at her eyes with one then blew her nose with the other.

"Maybe next time, I'm going to prescribe you some medication that will help you. I'd like to see you again sometime next week to start therapy sessions."

"Why?" Jacob asked in concern.

"This is something that she needs to work through on her own."

Ten minutes later they were back in the car. Bella was silent as she looked out the window. Jacob reached across the console and took one of her hands in his. She didn't respond until he squeezed it tightly. She looked over at him from underneath her eyelashes.

"I love you," he said not breaking eye contact with her.

"I love you too," she said with a small smile.

They were the first words that she had spoken since they had found out that Edward had changed Christina. He let out an inner sigh of relief when she didn't pull her hand away. It was a step in the right direction.

XXXX

In all of the years that Edward and Embry had known each other Edward had never been to his house. He respected that Embry's children didn't know what he was while they were growing up. He didn't want to scare Stacia anymore than he already had. The little girl had been scared to go near him since Hannah had let him in.

Embry and Edward waited in the living room for Noah to come home from work. Edward was the right person to talk to Noah about what was going on. He had been meaning to come by since the day Embry called him. Christina's transitioning hadn't taken very long, but a new coven of nomad vampires had been found roaming the woods. Edward had explained the rules to them, but he had his suspicions that they were still lurking around somewhere.

Noah walked through the front door half an hour after Edward got there. Noah smiled politely at him as he took off his jacket.

"Noah, you might want to keep that on," Edward said.

"Why?" Noah asked with curious eyes.

"You and I need to talk," Edward said as he stood.

"You need to talk? To me?" he asked credulously.

"It's a very simple concept," Edward said with a laugh.

They stood on the porch while Noah put his boots back on. They were in Edward's car heading into town a few minutes later.

"Where are we going?" Noah asked as they turned onto the main road.

"It's close to dinner time, so I thought that I would buy you dinner."

"I'm not one to turn down a free meal," Noah said with a nod.

They turned into the diner fifteen minutes later. They were silent until the waitress came to take Noah's order.

"I brought you here so that we could talk about Sarah."

"How do you know that something is going with me and Sarah?"

"Your dad told me. He did it because he cares."

"I don't need your help."

"I'm not here to help you. Your dad thought that I would be able to give you some insight because I was once in the situation you are in, only Bella was someone's imprint."

"I didn't realize that the two of you dated."

"It was a very hard and trying time for everyone involved. Bella and Jacob don't like to talk about it," Edward said quietly.

"Did you love her?"

"I did," Edward said with a nod.

"What happened?"

"Things were good for a while. Then a nomad vampire tried to kill Bella. That was when things started going downhill. My family left because Jasper tried to attack Bella. We thought that it would be best if we left and let her have a normal life. I regret the decision to this day. While I was gone she turned to Jacob for support. He joined the pack a few months later and imprinted on her the next time he saw her. Long story short, we didn't get along. We took down an army of newborn vampires to save her life. Things got better once my family left for good. I can't explain how much I missed Bella when I was away from her during the seven months that Bella and Jacob got together. I learned that I don't need someone to care for to be happy."

"You seem to be doing okay now, you have Christina."

"You're right, I do. And one day you will have your own Christina. You have to be patient, she's out there."

Noah nodded in understanding as his food was brought to the table. Edward had a point. If he wanted his relationship with Sarah to go back to normal he would need to back off. It would be hard; she had been the center of his whole world for so long. Maybe if he put some distance between them now it would be easier to handle if she ever did imprint.

XXXX

Christina was waiting for Edward when he got home that night. She sat in the living room facing the front door when he came in.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi," he said as he crossed the room to her.

"I thought that maybe you had decided to go hunting."

"I stopped to talk to your dad," he said shaking his head.

"What did he have to say?"

"Your mom still isn't ready to see you, but she is doing better. She asked about you."

"That's good," she said quietly.

"She isn't mad at you. I can tell you that right now," he said sternly.

"So you can somehow read her mind now?"

"No, but your dad can. She misses you. It won't be much longer before she'll want to see you. I can feel it."

"I hope your right."

"Did Carlisle come by?"

"He was here for a few hours. He was surprised to find out that I have a power."

"What is it?"

"You know how you have never been able to read my mom's mind?"

"Yeah," he said slowly.

"That was my doing. I can put out this force field to repel things when I feel that people are in danger."

"How were you able to do that before you were born?"

"I don't know. But Carlisle proved it to be right. He tested it out."

"Why would you put up a force field when it comes to me?"

"It's not like I can control it, not yet."

"It will come in handy."

"I guess," she said with a shrug.

"I have a question. If you don't want to answer it I understand. Why would you let me get into your father's head? I can't get into Will or Maggie's heads either."

"My dad can take care of himself. He has proven that time and time again."

"Touché," Edward said with a smile.

Christina crossed the space between them before wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms slid around her waist as she leaned up to reach his lips. He cupped her face in his hands as he pressed his lips gently to hers. Her fingers threaded in his hair as she applied pressure to the kiss. He growled deep in his throat as her fingers moved to the buttons of his shirt. He pushed them away gently before pushing his tongue past her lips. They had talked about taking things farther and he wanted to wait until they were married. He hadn't even asked her to marry him yet. He wanted to wait until he had gotten both Jacob and Bella's blessing. He had gone to talk to them tonight but he felt that the time wasn't right. He pulled away reluctantly before giving her an even look.

"Sorry," she said giving him a bashful look.

"I am flattered that you can't keep your hands off of me, but I want to do things right."

"I know," she said with a nod.

"We will be married soon. And then we will have forever," he said with a smile.

She smiled tenderly before running her fingers down his cheek. He leaned into the touch before kissing her wrist. He took hold of her hand before pulling her out of the room. They made their way up the stairs past the open doors of the nomads who were upstairs. They shut their door and soon music could be heard filtering beneath the door. Everyone knew to leave them alone when the door was closed, that was when they had their alone time and they talked about the future.

XXXX

Marcus sat across from his dad and mom staring at them dumbfounded. He told them that he had imprinted and all they could say was that they already knew. Had Sarah told them? He had asked her not to.

"What do you mean you already know? How can you know?"

"We've known since before Bella and Jacob were married."

"What?" Marcus asked as his eyebrows furrowed.

"Alice had a vision of the two of you getting married."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't want to scare you. Not many people know who they are going to marry before they are born," Sam said gently.

Marcus nodded with a grave expression. He hadn't thought of it that way. Edward may like knowing who he was going to spend the rest of his life with before they were even thought of but Marcus wouldn't have been able to handle it. He was thankful that his parents had kept it from him. He was glad that he had imprinted, even if Maggie was considerably younger than him. If Quil and Seth could handle it, so could he.


	7. History Repeats Itself

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The pack filed into the clearing one by one. It was the middle of the night and all of them wondered what was going on.

"Since everyone is here I want to call this meeting to order," Joe said getting everyone's attention.

"What's going on Joe?" Marcus asked.

"Curtis was talking to his mom tonight and she told him about a string of murders happening in Boston. She thinks it might be a vampire."

"Are we going up there to check it out?" CJ asked.

"I want you here. Just in case someone else joins. Sarah and Curtis are coming with me."

The pack agreed and Joe filed them in on everything that was happening. That explained why Curtis had phased. Everyone was starting to wonder if he was an exception to the rule like his mom. Could Ben be next? They would find out soon.

XXXX

Bella sat across from Dr. Thomas with a tight lipped look. She had made progress since starting to see the therapist a month ago but she wasn't ready to deal with seeing Christina.

"I think what's stopping you is that her room has been locked up since she died."

"That was my husband's decision, not mine," Bella said shaking her head.

"You should start clearing the room. Holding onto her possessions is only going to draw out your healing process. Maybe you should go to her grave."

"I'm not ready for that," she said quietly.

"Then write her a letter. Place it on her grave when you are ready. Tell her everything that you didn't get a chance to."

"I guess that could help."

"You need to talk to your children about their sister. It will help them grieve."

Bella nodded, knowing that she was right. She wasn't being fair to Will or Maggie. They talked about Christina all the time. When they did, she usually left the room or Jacob would change the subject. Talking to them about what happened would be a start.

XXXX

Joe, Sarah, and Curtis stepped off the plane to find Leah and Drew waiting for them. Drew sprinted towards Curtis who dropped his bag before catching her. It reminded Sarah of how her dad used to do that with her when she was little.

Leah was calm as the three of them made their way to her. Curtis set Drew down once they were a few feet away. He stepped into his mother's arms and she smiled over his shoulder at Joe and Sarah in greeting.

"Where are Dad and Ben?"

"Dad's at home and Ben will be there tomorrow. He had a test today and a study group tonight."

"We missed you," Drew said wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Let go of him Andrea," Leah said gently pulling her away.

"She's fine Ma," Curtis said taking hold of Drew's hand.

The hour ride home was silent. Ryan was making dinner when they got home. Leah showed Joe and Sarah to the den so that they could put their bags away before dinner.

"Thank you for letting us stay here," Sarah said.

"You don't need to thank me. Come on up whenever you get settled in. Dinner should be ready soon," Leah said before turning to walk up the stairs.

Sarah's phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her pocket.

I'm bored. Christina had sent her.

What am I supposed to do?

Entertain me, duh.

Isn't that what your boyfriend is for?

He's on his way there. Leah asked him to come up.

Sorry. I got nothing.

Her phone was silent as she opened her laptop.

"I'm going upstairs," Joe said.

"I'll be there in a few. I'm going to check my e-mail."

"Expecting something important?"

"No," she said shaking her head.

Joe shrugged his shoulders before going upstairs. Sarah quickly scrolled through her e-mails before finding the one she wanted. Noah's e-mail address stared back at her. They had been working through their issues and were closer than they had ever been. He had texted her before she got on the plane and asked her to check her e-mail the first chance she got. She clicked on it wondering what it would say.

_Sarah,_

_I've tried and tried to tell you what I am about to say at least ten times in the past month. I want to give us another try. I know that it's reckless and dangerous, but I want you to at least consider it. I'll be waiting for you when you get back._

_Noah_

Sarah felt tears form in her eyes as she shut down her computer. She knew how wrong it was to start a relationship with Noah but she couldn't deny that she still had feelings for him. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she ever hurt him. There was a possibility that she wouldn't even imprint. She would keep an open mind and think about what Noah said. If she hadn't made a decision before she went home than it wasn't meant to be.

She quickly calmed herself before going to the bathroom to wash her face. When she made it to the kitchen everyone was talking and laughing at once. It reminded her of when she would go to Jacob and Bella's for dinner. Dinner at her house was usually quiet since her dad liked it that way.

"You made it. There's a place for you by Drew," Leah said over the noise.

Sarah sat across from Joe and accepted the bowl of green beans that Drew was holding out to her. Joe kicked her under the table and her head jerked up in surprise. He gave her a questioning look and she shook her head mouthing that she would tell him later. He went back to eating while Leah asked Sarah a question.

"How are you handling things?"

"Better. My Mom and Dad are more accepting about it now."

"That's good. How's Noah? Hannah and Embry don't talk about him much."

"He's good," Sarah said with a small smile.

"Last I heard he was working for Sam," Ryan said.

"He is; he likes it," she said with a nod.

"Is something wrong?" Leah asked in concern.

"I've got a lot on my mind," she answered with a nervous laugh.

Leah dropped the subject but like Joe, she watched Sarah closely. Sarah helped Leah and Joe clean the kitchen after dinner.

"Did something happen that you want to talk about?" Leah asked as Sarah handed her a plate to put in the dishwasher.

"What would make you think that?"

"I may not know you that well, but I can tell that something is bothering you."

"You got an e-mail from Noah, didn't you?" Joe asked as he wiped down the table.

"Yeah," Sarah said quietly.

"What did it say?" Leah asked.

"He wants us to get back together. He's changed so much, and I can see that he's trying so hard to turn his life around. He says that he still loves me," Sarah said as tears pricked her eyes.

"But what do you want?" Joe asked.

"Part of me wants to be with him too. What if I imprint? What if I don't? I don't want to hurt him again," she said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Could we have a few minutes?" Joe asked.

"Sure," Leah said with a nod.

Joe crossed the room and Sarah fell against him. He rubbed her back soothingly as she sobbed quietly into his chest.

"You have to do what you think is right. I can't help you," he said into her hair.

"I told myself that if I haven't made up my mind by the time we get back than it wasn't meant to happen."

"That's a good idea. What have you come up with?"

"I'm still thinking," she mumbled.

They stayed that way until Leah came back in. She was quiet as she put the food away and started the dishwasher. She couldn't help but think back to when she was put in the situation that Sarah and Noah were in. She had been on Noah's side of the equation and she had been bitter and angry for two years before Ryan came along. She prayed that what had happened to her would never happen to Sarah and Noah.

XXXX

The smell of blood led them down an alley way behind a bar. Joe, Sarah, Curtis, and Edward had left as soon as Edward had gotten to the house. They had been walking the streets for three hours when they found the mutilated body.

"This was definitely the work of a vampire, even if it is a sloppy job," Edward said.

"I'm going to see if I can pick up their scent," Curtis said.

"I'll go with you," Joe said.

Sarah was quiet while Edward examined the body.

"You have a lot on your mind tonight," Edward observed.

"Could you not read my mind right now?"

"I wasn't. You're posture is tense and you face is etched with worry," Edward said as he stood.

Sarah sighed before shaking her head. She tried to clear it to no avail.

"Sarah, get behind me, now," Edward said getting her attention.

It was then that she felt another presence close by. She stepped behind Edward without thinking twice.

"Such a gentleman, she isn't even our species," Someone said from the shadows.

"Did you do this?" Edward asked, gesturing to the woman on the ground.

"Do you not like my work? I'm sorry, but I enjoy a more gruesome demise than you do."

"Who are you?" Sarah asked.

"I am someone who has been looking for your kind for a very long time."

"Come out where we can see you," Edward demanded.

A tall man with shoulder length dark brown hair and more muscles than Sarah had ever seen stepped out of the shadows.

"Why are you here?" Edward asked.

"Like I said, I have been after her kind for a very long time. I finally found the one I was looking for a little over a year ago, a woman, like her."

"What do you want with her?"

"She killed my brothers and sisters, and so did you. I knew if I found her that you would come. You looked like you were the most powerful of your clan."

"Why have you singled her out?"

"She was guarded by all the others. I wanted all of them, but I would settle for just her."

"What is he talking about?"

"Bella was put in danger. A female vampire wanted her dead, so she brainwashed more vampires into working for her."

"We were not brainwashed, I assure you."

"How did you escape?"

"I panicked; I never made it to the battle. I am not the same person I was then."

"Did you ever meet the person giving the orders?"

"Riley was our leader."

"He was not. I happen to know someone had him on a pair of puppet strings. Her name was Victoria, and she came after my friend for the wrong reason."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"There was a young girl with you that survived the battle. We planned to help her, but someone else killed her. We can help you so that you do not meet the same fate."

"You cannot be trusted, you are the mind reader," The man said as he backed away.

"If I could not be trusted don't you think that I would have already killed you? Or maybe I would have let my friend here do it, hmm?"

"What do you want?"

"I want to help you. You do not have to live like this."

"How else am I supposed to survive?"

"I can show you. What is your name?"

"Travis."

"Well Travis, thank my brother, he is the only thing that stopped me from killing you," Edward said in a forced tone.

Jasper stepped out of the shadows at the other end of the alley. Sarah hadn't known that he was there. Where had he come from? How had he gotten there so fast?

"Find your brother and Curtis, Sarah. I will explain when you return to Washington," Edward said with a kind smile.

Sarah found Joe and Curtis a few blocks away. She explained what had happened and the three of them headed back to the house. It had been a long, strange day and the three of them were looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

XXXX

Bella watched Jacob as he slept. He hadn't been home as much as he would have liked lately. Bella was left with the kids most of the time. She wasn't completely back to herself, but they needed their mother. She had written a letter to Christina like Dr. Thomas had asked and that had helped.

Jacob stirred next to her and she smiled. He stretched with a groan before she reached out for him. Her hand traveled down his arm until he took hold of her hand.

"How long have you been up?" he asked his voice still thick with sleep.

"Ten minutes."

"What time is it?"

"It's almost eight."

"The kids aren't up yet?"

"I haven't heard them."

"Then let's take advantage of the situation," he said rolling over on top of her.

She stared up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers were in his hair when he leaned down. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. He pulled on her bottom lip until she opened her mouth to him. Her tongue massaged his gently making him moan.

There was a soft knock on the door making him pull away from her. He fell back against the pillows as Bella called for the person to come in.

"Morning Momma, morning Daddy," Maggie said once she was on the bed with them.

"Morning Baby," Bella said running her fingers through her hair.

"Is Will still asleep?"

"No. He's downstairs making breakfast."

"I'll go help him," Jacob said throwing his legs over the side of the bed.

"Why don't you get dressed? You and I are going out later."

"Where are we going?" Maggie asked inquisitively.

"It's a surprise."

Maggie ran from the room and Bella made her way down the hall. She unlocked Christina's door before slipping in quietly. The boxes that she had spent all day packing yesterday now sat against the wall. The letter she had written was taped to the box on top. It was time that she faced the inevitable. Christina had a new life now. She wasn't her little girl anymore, and she was just going to have to accept that.

XXXX

Sarah woke up hearing voices upstairs. Joe was still sleeping on the couch so she was quiet as she dressed. Leah was at the stove with her back to her when she came in.

"Hey," she said getting Leah's attention.

"Good afternoon. I was going to come down and wake you after I finished lunch."

"You didn't have to make us lunch."

"I don't mind. I'm making it for everyone else."

Sarah sat at the island watching Leah flip grilled cheese sandwiches with one hand and stir a pot of tomato soup with the other. Drew came into the room quietly and sat beside Sarah. Someone else walked around behind her, but she didn't pay attention.

"Ben, will you set the table?" Leah asked.

Sarah looked over her shoulder looking at him curiously. His back was to her as he grabbed mugs from off the wall. He turned to walk to the table as she continued to watch him. His eyes met hers as all of her air was knocked out of her.

Ben sat the mugs on the table without taking his eyes off of her. Sarah gripped the back of her stool to keep from falling off of it. Everything around her was spinning as she slowly turned her body to face him.

His short, dark wavy hair fell over his ears and his piercing blue eyes bore right into her memory, never to be forgotten. It was then that she remembered that there were other people in the room.

"Hi," she said, trying to sound as normal as she possibly could.

"Hey," he said with a smile.

She took him in as he turned to set the table. His broad shoulders narrowed to slim hips. He obviously worked out. He was tall like his dad.

"Drew, would you go and tell your dad and Curtis that lunch is ready?" Leah asked.

"Yes ma'am."

"I'm going to wake up Joe," Leah said to Sarah.

"Okay," Sarah said pulling her attention away from Ben.

Ben walked to the cabinet to grab paper plates.

"I can get the spoons if you want."

"Thanks," Ben said with another smile.

They met in the middle of the table and when one would move the other would move in that direction.

"You both move to your right," Joe said as he walked into the room.

"Sorry," she said laughing nervously.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," Ben said putting a hand on her shoulder as he passed.

Sarah stopped in her tracks as heat spread through the arm he was touching.

"Ben? Why don't you grab some napkins?" Leah asked.

"Yes ma'am."

Sarah bit her lip as worry lines formed on her forehead. She shook her head to clear it as everyone else filed into the kitchen. She sat in between Joe and Leah with Ben sitting across from her.

"How much more school do you have left?" Joe asked Ben.

"Five weeks."

"What about you Joe? Your mom said that you're planning on opening a clinic on the Reservation once you're done with school."

"I'm studying for finals and I just heard back from my first choice med school. I didn't get in but I have a couple more schools that I am waiting to hear from. It's hard juggling everything. CJ has been doing the bulk of the work while I adjust."

"He's a good guy; he's a lot like Embry," Sarah said with a smile.

"Noah is the one who I worry about," Leah said.

Sarah's eyes met Leah's for a fraction of a second before looking away. She would have to let Noah down as easily as possible. He wasn't going to like what she was going to say at all, but there wasn't any way of getting around it.

XXXX

Bella pulled up to the house, taking it in. Flowers had been planted out front and hung from hanging baskets on the new front deck. All of Christina's favorite flowers and even some of hers were represented. The car came to a stop a few feet from the stairs.

Maggie took the stairs two at a time before Bella could even walk around the car. Edward opened the door with a look of surprise.

"Hi," Maggie said from the bottom of the stairs.

"Hello," he said with a smile as Maggie attached to his leg.

Bella pulled Maggie from him silently before following him through the house to the dining room. He took hold of Maggie's hand before putting a finger to his lips.

"You can go in," Edward said over his shoulder as he led Maggie down the hall.

Bella slowly opened the doors to see Christina watching the door curiously. She was out of her chair and across the room before Bella could open her arms.

"I missed you so much," Christina whispered.

"I've missed you too," Bella said hugging her tightly.

"Where are Dad and Will?"

"Your Dad is working and Will is camping with Seth and Jeremy."

"I'm glad you're here. There's so much that I want to tell you."

Christina pulled her into the room and they sat side by side at the table.

"I don't know where to start," Christina said laughing nervously.

"Start at the beginning, I want to know everything."

Christina explained her power first and Bella smiled. She always knew that Christina was special, so her having a power didn't shock her. She was enrolled in an online school and was three credits away from graduating.

"That's wonderful Christina," Bella said in surprise.

"Edward has been helping me."

"I'm so proud of you."

"I know," Christina said with a tender smile.

"Are you happy?"

"I'm extremely happy. I understand what you and Dad have been trying to tell me."

"All I have ever wanted for you and your brother and sister was that you find someone who makes you happy and loves you unconditionally."

"I have, and you don't need to worry about Maggie. You know the kind of person Marcus is."

"You girls are set, yes. Will I still worry about," Bella said cautiously.

"You don't need to worry Mom. I'm sure he'll find someone that all of us will love."

"They will have to be understanding."

"And nonjudgmental," Christina added.

"We aren't asking for a lot."

"I don't think so," Christina said with a shake of her head.

They both started laughing at the same time and Christina wrapped her arms around Bella's waist. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder and Bella kissed her temple.

"I love you Mom, I'll never be too old to say that."

"I love you too."

"Mommy, Sinya and I made cookies," Maggie said from the door.

"I'll come and try one in a few minutes. Come and say hi to your sister."

Maggie climbed into Christina's lap and laid her head on Christina's shoulder.

"I brought the boxes that were in your car inside," Edward said from the door.

"Thank you. You can come in," Bella said with a smile.

"What boxes did you bring?"

"I brought some of your things. Pictures, books, CD's, movies, things that I knew you would want."

"Thank you."

"She doesn't like my book collection," Edward said giving Christina a teasing smile.

"She's more of a modern author kind of girl. She likes Grisham and Sparks, but she will read Shakespeare if there's nothing else to read."

"I read your books too."

"Yes you do, you're my toughest critic."

They continued to talk until Bella's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Did you forget that we were coming?"

"No, I lost track of time."

"We'll let ourselves in."

"I'll be there in half an hour," she said before hanging up.

"Renee?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, come on Mags, let go of your sister."

"I wish I could go. I miss Gran, Poppa, and Aunt Bianca," Christina said sadly.

Once they were gone Christina went up to the bedroom to go through the boxes. She pulled the letter from the top box and opened it.

_Christina,_

_I won't go into details about the struggle that I've had to go through to get to where I am now because I don't want you to worry. Everyone else has worried about me enough to last a lifetime. I had a lot of regrets when you were changed. I wasn't ready to lose you and there were things that were left unsaid._

_First things first, I want you to know that I am not mad at you for lying to me. I did my fair share of lying to your Granddad not only when I was with Edward but when I first started dating your dad. I regret to this day that I wasn't honest with him and now it's too late to make that right. I understand why you did it._

_Secondly I want to you to know how much I love you. I knew about you seven years before you were born. I had wanted to be a mother since I was ten. When Alice told me about you I was elated, even if your dad wasn't. His enthusiasm would kick in just before we found out that I was pregnant with you. When you were born my first thought was that I had never seen a more beautiful baby. You have grown into a strong, independent woman. I am so proud of the way you turned out._

_I want you to know that wherever you go I will always be there if you need me. Even after I am dead don't feel like you can't talk to me, because I will be right there with you. For now I am only a phone call away, I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me things. I don't want our open and honest relationship to change._

_I missed the launch of my book because I was still adjusting to you being gone and I'll be going on a book tour this summer. I'm taking Will with me, because it will be a good learning experience for him. Do you remember when I took you on my first book tour? We decided to take the steps to the top of the Statue of Liberty. We gave up on the fifth floor and caught the elevator to the top. We were determined to take the steps down though; even if it did take us two hours. Those are the kinds of moments that I will miss. When we could be ourselves and just laugh because we were doing the craziest things. I want you to look after your Dad and Maggie while we're gone. You know how your dad is, he's rendered useless when I'm not around. Keep him in line for me?_

_You have been stubbornly set in your ways since you were a baby. You taught yourself how to read, you never let anyone help you. You may look like me, but I see so much of your father in you. Don't take for granted how much he has fought for you. He loves you more than you think. _

_Love,_

_Mom_

Christina set down the letter with a sigh before opening the first box. A picture of Maggie and Will was the first thing she saw. It was a recent picture that had been taken since she had been changed. They sat on Paul and Rachel's front porch with Maggie's head resting on Will's shoulder. Will was sulking because he hated having his picture taken. She shook her head with a smile as she set the picture on her bureau.

She went through the pictures in the box, remembering when every picture had been taken sentimentally. The next box was her movies; she made a mental note to take the box downstairs to add them to Edward's movies.

"I can have a book case built for you books."

"My Uncle Seth made me one for Christmas last year. I'll go and get it," she said with a shake of her head.

"Do you feel better now that you've had a chance to talk to her?"

"I'm going to regret letting you inside my head, aren't I?"

"I hope not," he said with a teasing smile.

"I do feel better, I feel relieved. I didn't realize how much I needed her until I wasn't able to see her."

"Rosalie was the same way after she changed."

"You weren't?"

"My parents had already passed by then. I had already grieved for them."

"I forgot, sorry."

"It's alright," he said coming to stand in front of her.

"I love you," she said with a smile.

"And I you," he said with a tender smile.

She laid her head on his chest as his arms slid around her waist. He held her tightly taking in the new pictures that surrounded the room. He smiled at one of Jacob and Bella from their last anniversary. They stood side by side and Jacob had an arm draped over her shoulders. They were smiling as they looked at each other. A black and white picture of them from their wedding day sat on Christina's dresser. Bella was in Jacob's arms and her head was thrown back in laughter as he looked down at her with a wide smile. Christina had always said that it was her favorite picture of them.

They were still adjusting to things. He felt like she was holding back so much from him and he knew that it was because she missed her mother. He hoped that she would put all of her fears behind her now and they could work on moving forward.


	8. The End of a ChapterStart of Another

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: This chapter contains lemon**

Sarah had been trying to get in touch with Noah ever since she got home the night before. When she still hadn't gotten in touch with him that morning she faked being sick so that she could go and see him. She knew that he would be home since it was raining with the chance of a thunder storm later that morning. She waited until her mom left for work before leaving the house. Sure enough, his beat up Honda Civic was parked out front of his parents' house.

She knocked on the door and shifted from foot to foot as she waited impatiently for him to open the door. She heard him on the other side shuffling through the living room. He opened the door slowly giving her a bleary eyed look.

"You haven't returned my calls," she said taking in his laid back demeanor.

"I've been sick," he answered hoarsely.

"I'm sorry. Maybe now isn't the best time," she said starting to turn to walk away.

"It's okay. I can make time for you. Unless you don't want to get sick," he said with a lopsided grin.

"We need to talk."

"Come in," he said opening the door wider.

She passed him to walk into the house and he immediately reached out for her. She hugged him, wanting to draw out the inevitable. He leaned in to kiss her and she turned her head so that he kissed her cheek.

"You've never cared about getting sick before. What's the problem?" he asked with a laugh.

"It's part of the reason why I need to talk to you."

"You don't want to give us another chance," he said with a hurt look.

"I can't," she said with a shake of her head.

"Why?" he asked as his facial features changed from hurt to anger.

"I don't want you to be angry with me. Everything is spiraling in different directions and there is no way that I can stop it," she said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Then let me help you."

"You can't."

"Why not?" he asked, his voice rose in frustration.

"If I said that even though I can't be with you that a part of me would always love you would you believe me?"

"I guess," he said with a shrug.

"Something happened while I was in Boston."

"You met somebody new?" he asked giving her an unsure look.

"You could say that," she said with a light laugh.

"Who is he?"

"I've known him for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"All my life, but my feelings for them are a new development."

"Why now?"

"It's not like I planned on it."

"You've imprinted?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Do I know him?"

"You know him even better than I do."

"You've imprinted on Ben," he said as his eyes clenched shut.

"I'm so sorry," she said reaching out for him.

"Don't touch me," he said putting a hand up to stop her.

"Please don't shut me out. I can't take that."

"This really hurts," he said with a strangled sigh.

"Is there anything that I can do?"

"You can leave."

"Not until I know that you're okay."

"I need time, alright?"

"Fine," she said brushing away her tears.

He stood from the couch and made his way through the house. His bedroom door closed as Sarah started to sob uncontrollably. There was a knock at the door and she made her way across the room to open it. Joe stood outside on the porch giving her a sympathetic look.

"Now isn't a good time. He doesn't want to talk."

"I know. I came to take you home. Mom sent Dad home to check up on you. He's pissed."

"Great," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on. I'll help you tell Dad and Mom."

"Mom is home?"

"Dad called her when he found out that you weren't there."

"I am so dead," she said with a groan.

"I'm pretty sure that if you explain things to them that they'll understand."

"You think that they'll understand? Not only have I kept my imprinting on Ben a secret but I haven't told them that I have been sleeping with Noah. I am more than dead."

"The most they'll do is ground you."

"Do you swear that you won't leave?"

"I'll be there for as long as you need me," he said draping an arm over her shoulders.

Rachel was pulling up when Joe and Sarah were walking through the yard. She gave Sarah a stern look as she held the front door open for them.

"I can explain," Sarah said.

"You can explain why you faked being sick to see Noah?" Rachel asked.

"I needed to talk to him."

"It couldn't wait?" Paul asked.

"I've been trying to get in touch with him since last night."

"What was so important?" Rachel asked.

"I told him that things were over between us."

"Things have been over between the two of you for months," Paul said.

"That's not necessarily true," Sarah said as she wrung her hands together.

"It's not?" he asked with a confused look.

"We've been seeing each other secretly."

"Be honest," Joe said sternly.

"We've been sleeping together."

"Sarah, why would you lie to us?" Rachel asked exasperatedly.

"It was a mistake and now I'm paying for it."

"What made you decided that now is the time to end things?" Paul asked.

"I've imprinted."

"When did it happen?" Paul asked.

"While I was in Boston," she said looking at her hands.

"You've imprinted on someone who is two thousand miles away?" Rachel asked.

"It's Ben," Joe said.

"Ben Walker?" Paul asked.

Sarah nodded not looking up from her hands.

"What is it about the Walker kids? First Hannah, then Ryan and now Ben," Rachel asked as she threw up her hands.

"It's not like I could help it."

"We didn't say that you could. Have you told him?" Paul asked.

"Yes Sir. He took it really well."

"Of course he did. You, Marc, and CJ have imprinted on someone who has a parent who was a member of the former pack. He knows what to expect," Rachel asked.

"I need to get back to work," Paul said.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk about this later Sarah. You're grounded," Rachel said as she grabbed her purse.

"I understand," Sarah said with a nod.

"Take your sister to school, Joe," Paul said as he walked out the door.

"Come on," Joe said holding the door open for her.

Sarah grabbed her bag from the bench before following him out the door. She wished that she didn't have to go to school right now. She would give anything to be able to crawl back into her bed and hibernate for the next few days. She wasn't looking forward to the lecture that her parents planned on giving her later.

"You brought this upon yourself." Joe said as he started the car.

"Whose side are you on?"

"Yours, but you can't expect Mom and Dad not to be mad at you."

Sarah nodded, knowing that he was right. She shouldn't be mad at him for butting in. She would have done the same thing if the situation had been reversed.

XXXX

CJ walked in and immediately shed his jacket. He threw it onto the back of the couch as he pulled at his tie. He had been in court all day trying to keep a kid that he had known for ten years from being sent to a Juvenile Detention center. In the end the boy had been found innocent because of CJ's hard work and the boy's mother's testimony.

He headed into the kitchen to grab a beer from the refrigerator and popped the top as he walked down the hall. He walked to his room in the darkness. He toed off his shoes intending to throw himself onto the bed then drinking his beer and passing out until tomorrow morning.

"How much do I have to pay for you to give me a strip tease?" Cassie's voice cut through the darkness.

"For you, I'll do it for free. What are you doing here?" he asked as he undid his pants.

She turned on the light by the bed just in time to see his pants slide down his legs.

"I wanted to see my favorite guy. Do I need a reason?"

"No," he said with a lopsided smile.

"You look tired."

"It's been a long day," he said with a sigh.

"Come here, I'll give you a massage," she said sitting up in the center of the bed.

"That would be great."

She beckoned him with her finger and he climbed onto the bed in front of her. She unbuttoned his shirt slowly before pushing it off of his shoulders. Her hands moved down his chest then torso before wrapping them around his waist.

"What happened to my massage?"

"I have a better idea," she said with a wink.

She pushed him down onto the bed before leaning over him. She pulled her shirt off one arm at a time before sitting up to unbutton her jeans. She threw them over her shoulder seconds later. His hands moved up her back and came to stop at her bra. She pushed his hands away with a shake of her head.

"You just sit back and relax, this is about you," she said as she reached between them to pull down his boxers.

He leaned up so that she could pull them down before lying against the pillows again. She rolled off of him long enough to pull off her underwear and grab a condom from his nightstand drawer. She set the condom on the nightstand before leaning over him again.

"You were right, this is a better idea," he said running his fingers through her hair.

"I thought that you might like it," she said making her way down his body.

Her hands blazed a trail down his torso slowly, and he felt the urge to reach out and touch her. He couldn't control himself as she stopped just above his erection. His hands fisted in her hair once she took him into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around him tantalizingly slow making him growl. She smiled around him but didn't stop what she was doing. Her tongue swirled around the tip once more before making her way down again.

He watched her through a lust filled haze. This would only be the second time that they had slept together. He couldn't believe that he had been lucky enough to earn her trust and love. He felt like pinching himself sometimes because he thought that he was dreaming. She was smart, funny, nice and unbelievably beautiful. Never in a million years would he have thought that he would have had a chance with her if things hadn't changed. He sent up a silent thank you to God for bringing her into his life.

She pulled away from him making her way up his body again. She placed light kisses in strategic places before finally stopping just above him. She leaned down to his neck breathing lightly against his ear before taking his lobe between her teeth. She pulled at it gently, knowing what it would do to him. A moan from deep in his throat vibrated through her making her pull away from him.

"God, I love when you do that," she said pushing her hair out of her face.

He pulled her to him capturing her lips in a bruising kiss. His hands explored her body, his fingers caressing her rib cage in a gentle touch before snaking his arms around her back. Their tongues battled for dominance as his hands rested on the small of her back. She moaned lightly before letting herself completely fall against him.

She ran her fingers down the right side of his face before pulling away from him.

"I know what you're trying to do," she said giving him a mock glare.

"What am I doing?" he asked with an innocent look.

"You don't fool me, so don't even try. I told you that this was about you. So stop trying to take over."

He gave her a sly smile as she reached for the condom.

"I know that look. And you had better not try anything else."

"Scouts honor," he said holding up three fingers.

"Smart ass," she said with a shake of her head and a light laugh.

She opened the condom and rolled it down his erection slowly before leaning up to guide him into her. She sat up closing her eyes with a satisfied smile as she started to move. His hands went to her hips as he started moving with her. Her eyes met his and he gave her a smile that matched hers.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you too," she said with a sigh.

She quickened the pace knowing that he was almost there. Her hands went to his chest as she quickened the pace even more. His labored breathing let her know that she had been right. He lifted them off of the bed with a shout before going still. His heartbeat thundered beneath her fingers and his hands gripped her tighter as he rolled them over swiftly.

"What are you doing?"

"I promised that I wouldn't do anything, I never said for how long. I'm done, you're not. Let me take care of you," he said pulling out of her.

"You're getting let off on a technicality counselor," she said shooting teasing daggers at him.

He threw the condom in the trash can by the bed with one hand while his other hand traveled down her body.

"I don't know how I held myself back from touching you. I must have nerves of steel."

"That's what keeps me coming back. You can control yourself long enough to let me take over."

His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs lightly brushing over her nipples. His eyes met hers before leaning down to take one of her nipples into his mouth. His tongue swirled around the hardened nub and his teeth gently pulled at the skin surrounding it. She moaned appreciatively as her fingers threaded into his hair. He pulled away to move to the other while one hand moved down her body.

Two of his fingers slipped into her folds easily and he kept a slow steady rhythm. Her body arched off the bed to meet his fingers as his free hand cupped her free breast. He tweaked her nipple gently making her breath hitch. He added another finger before quickening his pace slightly.

"Faster," she moaned.

"Nope," he said pulling away from her.

He looked up at her to see her giving him a smoldering look crossed with agitation. He gave her a calming look before leaning down again.

He kissed each breast before making his way down her torso. He kissed just above her belly button before hooking his arms underneath her knees. He pulled her legs apart before kissing each thigh then behind each knee. He made his way back up to hover over her center. He let go of her legs but spread them apart even more before removing his hands completely.

His tongue snaked its way across her folds making her gasp. She gripped the bed sheets as his tongue swirled, driving her insane with pleasure. She moaned loudly as he picked up his pace. He felt her walls constrict around his tongue letting him know that she was almost ready to explode. He pulled away, replacing his tongue with his fingers once more. He wanted to see her while she came.

She groaned his name as she lifted herself off the bed. Her juices flowed over his fingers as he took in the satisfied, lust filled stare she was giving him. He pulled his fingers out of her before making his way up to her. He lay next to her on his side with one arm draped across her stomach.

"I have to say that that was the perfect ending to my day," she said with a sigh.

"Mine too. Can we end every day like that?"

"I'd say that it's mandatory."

"Awesome."

"Is that your way of asking me to move in?"

"Yes it is, since your apartment is too small."

"I'll bring my stuff over this weekend."

"Sounds like a plan," he said tiredly.

"Go to sleep," she said kissing his forehead.

He tightened his grip on her before closing his eyes. She turned to face him and his arm moved to the small of her back. She scooted closer to him before draping an arm over his shoulders. He kissed the tip of her nose before shutting out the rest of the world. They were asleep within seconds.

XXXX

Edward had been able to convince Christina to go and see Sarah fairly easily. The news of Sarah's imprinting had spread like wildfire and he knew that Christina was worried not only for Sarah but Noah as well. That gave him the opportunity to go and see Jacob and Bella for the night.

He stood on the front porch hearing the dog bark insistently from just inside the door. Jacob asked him to wait through the door and the dogs barking could soon be heard from the back yard. The door opened and Bella greeted him with a smile. Her smile turned to a look of confusion when she looked over his shoulder.

"I thought that you would have Christina with you."

"She's in La Push with Sarah. Sarah needed her best friend and I didn't have the heart to tell her no."

"Come in," Bella said opening the door wider.

Edward followed her into the living room and soon Jacob joined them.

"Where are Will and Maggie?"

"Will is at a friend's house and Maggie is spending some time with Marcus," Bella said as Jacob sat next to her.

Jacob elicited a low guttural sound from the back of his throat at the mention of Marcus' name.

"He's still adjusting to that."

"If now isn't a good time I can come back some other time."

"No, now is fine. What did you want to talk to us about?" Bella asked.

"I wanted to ask for your permission to ask Christina to marry me."

"I think that's really nice," Bella said with a smile.

"I wanted to do it the right way," Edward said with a nod.

"Should we leave him hanging?" Jacob asked, looking over at her.

"He does love her," Bella said with a shrug.

"And no one will treat her better than he will."

"Of course you can marry her," Bella said focusing her stare on Edward.

"We would be crazy to stop you," Jacob said with a smile.

"Thank you, very much. She will never want for anything."

"We know," Bella said with a smile.

"I won't take up any more of your time," he said standing from his chair.

"Don't wait so long before coming over again."

"And bring Christina next time," Bella called after him.

"I will," he promised before opening the door.

The house was quiet again once he pulled out of the driveway. Bella leaned against Jacob when he draped an arm over her shoulders.

"We knew this was going to happen. That doesn't make it seem any more surreal," she said with a sigh.

"I know," he said tightening his grip on her.

"She's only sixteen."

"She'll be sixteen for the rest of her life Babe. Would you rather she live with him and not be married?"

"You have a point."

"You aren't happy with the decision?"

"I am. It's just going to be different. My mom, Phil and Bianca won't be able to be there. I always had envisioned that my Dad would be there when the kids got married."

"We can't bring your Dad back from the grave but we can make sure that your mom, Phil, and Bianca are there."

"You want to tell them the truth?"

"I think they'll understand."

"I don't know," she said unsurely.

"Do you trust me?"

"You've never steered me wrong before."

"Then let me handle it."

"Okay," she said with an almost inaudible sigh.

He pulled away from her and grabbed the phone from off the coffee table. She leaned back against the couch with a heavy sigh. She hadn't thought about her Dad's death in over a year. She had pushed it as far back into her mind as she could after it happened; only thinking about it occasionally. Charlie had died in a hostage situation while she was pregnant with Maggie. Christina barely remembered him and Will only knew what everyone had told him about Charlie.

She tuned the conversation out until Jacob nudged her holding out the phone for her to take it.

"Which one of them is it?" she asked.

"Your mom," he said pushing the phone towards her.

She shook her head giving him a scared look.

"She's not mad. She's concerned, but she's not mad. Take the phone," he said gently.

She gave him an even look before taking the phone from him.

"Mom?" she asked quietly.

"Christina is about to become engaged to your ex-boyfriend who is how old?"

Bella mentally counted the years before answering her.

"He's a hundred and thirty one."

"And you're okay with this?"

"Mom he loves her, even a blind person would be able to pick up on it."

"And Jacob is a former werewolf?"

"Yes ma'am. Joe and Sarah are werewolves now."

"And there is a chance that Will and Maggie could become wolves when they get older?"

"Yes."

"Did your Dad know about this?"

"No," she said with a sniffle.

"Honey, I don't mean to upset you. Good Lord I'm gonna have a story to tell Phil when he gets home," she said with a sigh.

"I can tell him."

"No, I'll handle it, just like I'll handle your sister. I wish that you had told me this sooner."

"Would you have believed me?"

"Probably not, I still think it's out of Bianca's grasp now."

"Leave her to me. You coddle her too much."

"Apparently I didn't coddle you enough."

"You didn't coddle me at all. I coddled you."

"That you did. I'm sorry that you had to grow up before you were ready."

"I'm not."

"I can't be mad at you. Everything worked out pretty well didn't it?"

"I'd say my life has turned out pretty great."

"As long as you're happy I guess I got all I wanted for you."

"Thanks Mom."

"Your sister is coming home this weekend if you want to come and see her then."

"I'll come up and see you guys."

"Bring my grandbabies and son in law."

"We'll all be there."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up the phone a few seconds later with a sigh. She rested her head on Jacob's shoulder once more and closed her eyes. She thought that Renee would have put up more of a fight. She didn't realize that she would get an apology from her for the way that she had raised her. She had never expected one from her mom. Things were the way they were between them and Bella had long since worked out her issues from childhood.

Jacob rested his head on top of hers before kissing her hair.

"Our life together has never been boring," he murmured.

"No, it hasn't."

"Do you regret it?"

"No, never," she said quickly.

"Me neither. So, weekend trip to Seattle, huh?"

"Looks like it."

"I can handle it if you can," he said squeezing her shoulders.

She laughed into his neck before kissing behind his ear. Things had always been up and down with them. They'd had some really great highs and had ridden the storm through deeper than low lows. They had made it through those times together, that was what mattered.

XXXX

Sarah's phone rang in Paul's nightstand drawer just after midnight. He felt around in the darkness to pull the drawer open feeling Rachel roll over in bed. He pulled the drawer open then frantically searched for the phone. He wrapped his hand around it with a sigh. He held it close to him trying to read the number. It wasn't one that he knew.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Is Sarah there?" A guy asked curiously.

"She's sleeping. Ryan?" he asked sitting up in bed.

"No sir, I'm his son, Ben."

"Why is Ryan calling Sarah at midnight?" Rachel asked groggily.

"It's Ben."

"I know it's late, but could I talk to her? I won't keep her on the phone long."

"She's grounded right now. I'm sorry."

"When will she be able to talk to me?"

"A month," Paul said gruffly.

"Paul, he isn't the cause of what's going on. Let him talk to her," Rachel said with a sigh.

"I'm handling this," Paul said with a shake of his head.

"Hand me the phone," she said holding out her hand.

He handed her the phone with a sigh and she got out of bed. She was outside Sarah's room seconds later. She pushed open the door and Sarah turned to face her in the dark.

"It's Ben. You have five minutes before I send your dad in here to get the phone," she said holding out the phone.

Sarah took the phone and waited until her mom left the room before putting the phone to her ear.

"Hey," she said her voice thick with sleep.

"So that's your mom and dad?"

"That's them. Which one of them answered the phone?"

"Your dad did. He seems great," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Imagine how it would have been if you had showed up here this late."

"Does he own a gun?"

"No. He has a machete."

"You're joking," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Nope, he keeps in the hall closet."

"Why are you grounded?" he asked changing the subject.

"I lied to my parents about being sick this morning so that I wouldn't have to go to school."

"Why?"

"I wasn't able to get in touch with Noah yesterday so I went to see him this morning. My mom sent my dad home to check on me and he flipped out when I wasn't here. I also made a bad decision that I am now paying for."

"What bad decision was that?"

"Up until Friday I had been meeting Noah on the beach almost every night. I told you that we were trying to put our relationship back together. I wasn't completely honest with you."

"What didn't you tell me?"

"We had been sleeping together. My parents knew that I was talking to him but they didn't know how serious it was. My dad called his dad and told him what was going on. I'm not allowed to see him until my parents say so. I don't think that will be a problem since he doesn't want to see me."

"And here I called to see how your day had been and to just hear your voice. I didn't realize that you had so much going on."

"I appreciate that you called. It's like I told you this weekend, it's going to take me a while to fully get over Noah. Once I do, you and I can work on us."

"I understand."

"You're free to see other girls. I'm not going to make you wait around for me."

"I wouldn't do that."

"You wouldn't?"

"No. I don't mind waiting."

"Sarah?" Paul called from the door.

"I've gotta go."

"I promise that I'll call earlier tomorrow night."

"I'll talk to my mom about keeping my phone with her."

"I heard that," Paul said before coming into the room.

"Bye," Ben said quietly.

"Bye," Sarah said before hanging up.

She held out the phone and he took it from her as he leaned down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her forehead.

"'Night Daddy," she said kissing his cheek.

"G'night Baby Girl, I'll see you in the morning," he said once he pulled away.

Sarah lay back against the pillows with a sigh. She had been feeling guilty for hurting Noah and lying to her parents all day. Ben had pushed away the feeling in the pit of her stomach in less the five minutes. He felt comfortable waiting around for her. She hadn't expected him to say that. It gave her the initiative she needed to work through her problems with Noah as quickly as possible.


	9. Gone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

It had been six weeks since Ben had last seen Sarah. She was all he had thought about ever since she left. They talked almost every night. He had been doing a lot of thinking and he had come to a decision. He was moving to Washington. He would make his mom understand. She had done the same thing for his dad when they were just starting out. What was the difference if he did it for Sarah?

He stood in his room looking around the empty space. Sue and Bella had found him a place in Forks and he had been talking to the relator for the past few days. He would be signing the papers tomorrow. Bella had sent him at least a hundred pictures of the house and he thought that it was a great starter house. It wasn't too big and the rent was reasonably priced. He had the option of buying the house if he decided to in a few years.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a door open down the hall. He stuck his head out the door to see Drew walking towards him. She stopped next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He draped an arm over her shoulders as they took a moment to remember all the memories that they had shared in the room.

He had yet to tell Sarah his plans. He wanted to surprise her. His mom had tried to talk him out of it several times. She thought that he was being reckless and that he wasn't thinking things through. He had never put so much thought and consideration into anything in his whole entire life. He wanted to prove to Sarah that he could be there for her and that he was willing to wait for her.

"Curtis, Embry, and CJ are here. You should start packing your things into the truck," Leah said from the end of the hall.

Ben's eyes met hers and he could tell that she had been crying. He knew that she worried about him. She'd had a hard time letting Curtis go so he knew that this time wouldn't be any different. He let go of Drew to walk up the hall to his mom. He pulled her to him and she buried her face in his chest.

"You aren't even a member of the pack and you're taller and more filled out than your brother. How does that happen exactly?" she asked with a sigh.

"Good genetics?" he asked rubbing her back.

"That must be it," she said with a breathless laugh.

"We can do this. Go and spend time with Mom and Drew," Curtis as he passed them.

"Are you sure?"

"You might want to take them somewhere. This could take a while," Embry said as he walked into Ben's room.

"Come on Drew, let's go get some dinner," Ben called.

"We'll bring the three of you something back," Leah said before following Ben and Drew out the door.

Ben had been a college graduate for less than a week and already he was starting a new chapter in his life. Even if his mom wasn't ready to let him go he knew that she would because it was what he wanted.

XXXX

Ben had been gone for less than an hour when Ryan came home. He had tried for three hours to get out of the team meeting. He was the pitching coach so there was no way of getting out of it. The meeting had dragged on for an hour and a half longer than necessary and Embry and the boys couldn't wait any longer because they were losing daylight.

Ryan felt the heaviness and weariness as soon as he walked in the door. The house was too quiet, too dark for his liking. He set his bag underneath the bench in the hall before walking towards the back of the house. There was a small sliver of light filtering from underneath the kitchen door letting him that the house wasn't completely devoid of life.

He pushed the door open enough to stick his head in to see Leah working on her computer by candlelight. He quietly entered the room to sit next to her. She continued reading whatever she was reading without acknowledging him. He waited a few minutes before finally breaking the silence.

"Where's Andrea?"

"She's upstairs," Leah said not looking away from the computer.

"What are you reading?" he asked pulling the computer around so that he could look at it.

She was looking through house listings in Forks. He turned computer back with a sigh.

"Do you want to tell me what you're planning?"

"Nothing right now, it was just a thought."

"You want to follow the boys," he said in observation.

"I don't like the idea of our family being split up."

"They're grown men, Leah. You have to cut the apron strings some time."

"It's hard okay?" she said as she put her head in her hands.

"I know," he said reaching over to put a hand on her back.

"What would you say if I asked you to move?"

"I wouldn't be able to even think about it until the end of the season. The season is just starting Lee."

"I know; you could take off for this season and start asking around on the west coast next season."

"I'm under contract with the Sox. I can't just walk out on them."

"Doesn't your contract with them run out at the end of the season?"

"Yes."

"Then don't resign with them. Please?"

"I know how much the boys mean to you but you have got to let them live their own lives."

"I am not just thinking about myself Ryan. Our daughter has locked herself in the boy's room and refuses to come out."

"Jesus," Ryan said raking a hand over his face.

He pushed himself away from the table and made his way up the stairs. He knocked on the boy's door lightly and didn't get an answer. He knocked again, louder. When he still didn't get an answer he walked up the hall to the closet and grabbed his toolbox. It took him less than a minute to take the doorknob off the door and get it open.

Drew was curled up in a ball on Ben's bed and it was obvious that she had been crying. She turned away from him without a sound. He crossed the room to sit on Curtis' bed with his hands on his knees.

"I know this is hard for you. It's hard on all of us, but you can't do this. Your mom is worried sick."

"Why aren't you?"

"I didn't have the kind of life that you and your brothers or even your mom had growing up. I left home when I was eighteen and didn't look back. There were times when I wished that things were different and that I didn't live so far from your Aunt Hannah and Uncle Kris when I was younger but you have to remember that Curtis and Ben are grown. They can't live with us forever."

"You don't ever miss your family?"

"All the time, but they have their own lives."

"What about Gran?"

"Your Gran didn't make things easy on any of us when I lived at home. She's part of the reason why I left. She tried to hold me back from so much. If I had let her, you and your brothers probably wouldn't exist. I didn't like standing up to her, but your Uncle Kris fought for me, he always has. Aunt Hannah and I have never seen eye to eye with your Grandmother."

"Because Hannah had CJ so young and she married Embry when he was still in high school."

"That's right. Your Gran didn't like it; she and Hannah didn't talk for almost six years because of it."

"Why aren't you sad about Ben leaving?"

"I am, but I understand why he left. You see, your mom did the same thing for me. She packed up and left Washington to follow me to Florida for college. Nana and your mom struggled with a lot of trust issues back then. We didn't go and see her as much as she would like and she resented us for it. I don't want your mom to be like that, so I am going to need your help to make her see that this is the right decision."

"Even though I don't want to?" she asked sniffling.

"Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to make someone else feel better. It's a part of life."

Drew nodded as she wiped her eyes. Ryan moved to sit next to her and she crawled into his lap to wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head on his shoulder. Leah came into the room wiping her eyes and sat beside him.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"It's okay," he said draping an arm over her shoulders.

Drew and Leah pulled themselves together as Ryan held them tightly. Leah knew that he was right and that she needed to be stronger. She would work on it. She couldn't keep the boys close to her forever. It was time to let them do their own things. She had raised them to be strong and independent. She would support whatever decisions they made because that was what a good mother did.

XXXX

Christina had spent the entire day with her mom. She couldn't remember the last time she felt as happy as she did right then. She needed her mom more than she realized, becoming a vampire hadn't changed that. She was rebuilding her relationship with her dad. In the days to come they would be spending more time together. Her mom and Will were scheduled to leave the day after school let out. That was only three weeks away.

The house was quiet when she got home that night. She knew that Edward was there because she had seen his car in the garage. She continued through the house to his office. The door was ajar and she could hear him talking. She pushed open the door and silently made her way across the room to his desk. The office had been Carlisle's at one time and Edward hadn't changed the décor. The picture of the Volturi still hung over the fireplace looking down over the entire room.

She was glad that the Volturi had never found out about her mom. Edward had told her about the worry and stress that his family had gone through to ensure that the vampire coven from Italy never knew that Bella existed. Edward motioned for her to sit down across from him while cradling the phone on his shoulder.

She sat across from him taking in the room. The table in the center of the room took up almost the entire room. She mentally counted the chairs lined on each side and at the ends of the table. Twenty in all, it was where Edward held meetings with the nomads. She moved to sift through the papers spread across the table. He had recently started his own online trading company. He had a lot of knowledge when it came to handling money. He had lived through a lot so he knew how to handle money better than she knew.

"How are your parents?"

"They're fine. Will is really excited about this summer."

"He's traveling the world for the first time. I remember when I took my first trip with Carlisle, I wanted to do everything at once, I wanted to take everything in and not forget one moment of it."

"That's how I felt."

"Where all did you and your mother go again?"

"The US mostly, but Canada and parts of Europe too."

"Where is she taking Will?"

"Will gets to go to France, Ireland and Italy. I've always wanted to go to Paris. Charlie's family was from France."

"We could go," he said standing from the desk.

"After my mom gets back, I promised her that I would stay with my dad and Maggie while she was gone."

"It's something to think about," he said wrapping his arms around her from behind.

She nodded before leaning against him. He rested his chin on her shoulder before tightening his grip on her.

"Are you okay? You seem like you've got something on your mind," she asked.

He let go of her then walked back to his desk. She turned, watching him curiously. He opened a drawer before motioning her over. She was in front of him when he came around the side of the desk. He got down on one knee before taking her hands in his. She looked down at him with wide eyes.

"I have been waiting my entire life to do this. So just let me get this out before you say anything, please?"

"Sure," she said with a breathless laugh.

"For a long time I felt that I would never find someone who understood and accepted me for who I am. When your mother came into the picture I was blown away by how accepting she was and her forgiving nature. When I left her I fought an inner battle with myself every single day. I didn't want to live without her, but I knew that she was safer without me. When your dad imprinted on her I took it really hard. I felt like my only chance at love was slipping through my fingers. It took me a long time to accept that I had lost her. I wanted to die. I had thought of different ways of how it could be done. She doesn't know that so please don't tell her. I had finally given up on finding someone to love when Alice had her first vision of you. I was floored; I didn't know what to make of the situation. I didn't know how your parents would take it. Carlisle was the one who talked me into keeping it to myself until the time was right. I didn't want to take the chance of your parents keeping you from me and losing my only chance at something wonderful. I knew I loved you when Alice showed me that vision. The first time I kissed you it felt like time stood still. That had never happened before. It has happened every time that I have kissed you since. You are the most beautiful, most perfect person I have ever met. I can't imagine spending the rest of eternity with anyone else. Christina Renee Black, will you marry me?" he asked, his eyes pleading her to say yes.

"Yes," she said all the while nodding her head and grinning like an idiot.

"It's good to know that you feel the same way I feel," he said as he stood.

He opened his hand and she saw the black velvet box in his palm. He opened it slowly and her eyes widened even more when she saw the ring nestled inside. It was simple yet beautiful. It was a cluster of diamonds formed together to make one the size of her thumb from tip to knuckle.

"It's beautiful," she said not able to stop smiling.

"So is the woman who is going to wear it," he said slipping it on her finger.

"I love you," she said with a lazy smile.

"I love you too," he said taking her hands in his.

He leaned in, his lips meeting hers in a gentle kiss. She pulled her hands from his to wrap them around his neck. He pulled her closer then wrapped his arms around her waist. They heard someone downstairs and he pulled away from her.

"Should we go celebrate?" he asked.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Let's start by going to our room. Don't give me that look, we aren't doing that. Our virtues are going to remain intact until we are married, I can think of other things that we can do."

"Let's go," she said pulling him out of the room.

Their door shut with a soft thump and soon the sounds of their laughter and whispered conversations filtered from underneath the door. Plans were being made that was obvious, but the question on everyone's mind was what kind of plans?

XXXX

Noah hadn't come out of his room since Embry and CJ came home from helping Ben move. After a day Hannah started to worry. There was no noise coming from the room, no light filtered underneath the door. She would pace the hall fighting the urge to knock on the door. Embry had talked her out of it when he got home from work that night.

Hannah now sat on the couch with Stacia curled up against her. The little girl's dark brown curls fanned out over her legs while they watched a movie. CJ came through the front door to stand behind the couch.

"Nothing yet?" he asked solemnly.

"No," Hannah said with a shake of her head.

"This was bound to happen. He isn't over her yet."

"That doesn't mean that she should have to suffer for something that she couldn't control," Embry said coming out of the kitchen.

"I'm going in there," CJ said walking down the hall.

He twisted the doorknob and it turned easily underneath his hand. He opened the door all the way then turned on the light.

"Mom, Dad?" he called.

"What's wrong?" Hannah asked as she got up from the couch.

"He's gone," CJ said as his parents made their way down the hall.

The room was scarcely decorated as it was, but as the three of them mentally checked the room they heaved a sigh of relief when they found mostly everything was there. The closet door was open and Noah's duffel bag was missing and some of his clothes were gone from the closet. CJ made his way across the room to the dresser that next to the bay window. He opened the top right hand drawer and shook his head.

"He must be planning on being gone a while. His secret money stash is gone."

Hannah walked to the bed and sat down with a sigh. Embry walked to the desk and leaned against it. He looked down to see a piece of paper with Noah's hastily written handwriting on it.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I don't want you to worry about me. I need some time alone and as soon as I have my head clear I promise that I will come back. Let Sarah know that I don't hate her. I don't know how long I'll be gone so tell Stayce that I love her._

_Noah_

"We should have kept a better watch over him," Hannah said quietly.

"He would have still run, you know he hates it when you hover," Embry said with a shake of his head.

"I should have tried harder to get him to talk to me."

"You did all you could Mom. This isn't your fault," CJ said sitting next to her.

Embry came to sit on her other side and pulled her into his arms. She buried her face in his neck before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Where's Noah?" Stacia asked from the hall.

"He had to go away for a little while," CJ said.

"He didn't say goodbye," Stacia said, her voice laced with sorrow.

"He wrote a letter. He says that he loves you," Embry said as he rubbed Hannah's back.

Stacia climbed into CJ's lap and rested her head against his chest. He held onto her tightly, mentally cursing Noah for being a coward. Noah's actions not only affected him but everyone in their family and he had left CJ and Embry to pick up the pieces as usual. CJ pulled his phone out of his pocket before setting Stacia on the bed. He walked out of the house before opening his phone. He didn't want his mom and sister to hear what he had to say.

"You've got Noah, leave a message," Noah's voicemail said.

"I swear to God if you are not home by tomorrow I will never forgive you. You need to grow up and face this like a man. This is bullshit Noah, you can't keep doing this. Dad and I can't always clean up your messes. Did you stop to think about what this might do to Sarah? She feels guilty enough and now you've made it worse. What about Stacia? She's already asking about you. Get your ass back here or I swear I will hunt you down and drag you back," he growled before shutting his phone.

"Very well said; that will have him home by tomorrow," Embry said from the porch.

"Don't tell me that you actually enjoy it every time he does this."

"I didn't say that. You could have been more collected though."

"He doesn't deserve that," CJ said shaking his head.

"I'm surprised he took his phone with him."

CJ nodded in agreement. Noah had taken off at least three times since he was eighteen. The last time had been last summer and he had taken Sarah with him. They had been gone for a month before Paul threatened to have Noah arrested if he didn't bring Sarah home. CJ knew that this was the worst thing that Noah had ever had to deal with but he didn't think that he would run. Everyone had been willing to help him and he had pushed all of them away.

Embry came down the stairs and put a hand on CJ's shoulder. He led him back into the house saying a silent prayer that wherever Noah was that he was safe. He didn't like that Hannah put the blame for Noah's leaving on herself and when Noah came home again he was going to sit his youngest son down and have a long talk with him about his actions.


	10. Breaking Free of Bondage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Sarah stood in her room staring at herself in the mirror. She still wore her graduation cap and gown even though she had been home for over an hour. She could hear people walking around in the front of the house. She didn't want to face them right now. She didn't hear her door open or the person close it before making their way across the room.

Joe's reflection joined hers in the mirror and she stared at him sadly. He stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. She felt like he was the only person that she could talk to. She couldn't even tell Ben what was going on. She was putting so much stress on him as it was, she didn't want to add her guilt for driving Noah away on top of it.

Nothing about this day had turned out the way she had envisioned it. She'd had preconceived notions of what would happen and now that it was over she felt cheated. She had always thought that everyone she cared for would be there to see her walk across the stage to get her diploma. The absence of Noah stung. She had been ignorant to Joe's reasoning when he tried to explain that she shouldn't expect Noah to all of the sudden to show up just because she willed him to be there.

"You can't keep blaming yourself. You did not drive him away, he chose to leave."

"I could have tried harder to make him understand that I wasn't trying to hurt him."

"I am so tired of you feeling sorry for yourself. You are bringing the rest of the pack down."

"I can't help if I think about him when I think that I am alone. If anyone has a problem with it than they should step up, be a man and say something," she said through clenched teeth.

"There is one good thing that has come of his leaving. You grew a backbone."

"Which one of them do I have to confront?"

"I'll handle it."

"It's not your problem to handle, it's mine."

"Curtis doesn't know any better alright? He doesn't know to stay out of it because he hasn't been a part of this for long."

"Then I'll go easy on him when I remind him," she said giving him an even look in the mirror.

"Hold off on that. Aunt Bella and Will are leaving tomorrow, spend time with them tonight. Curtis can be put off until tomorrow."

"Fine," she said with a sigh.

Joe stepped away from her then quietly walked out of the room. He left the door open and Christina stopped at the door. She watched as Sarah unzipped her gown then slowly pulled it off. The dress Sarah wore was the one that she had worn to Sam and Emily's vow renewal service that fall. Noah had just broken up with her and she was an emotional mess. Christina saw the dress as a bad omen.

"You know what, you should change out of that dress," Christina said as she crossed the room.

"Why?"

"It's time you moved on. That dress isn't helping things."

"What do you mean?"

"Because history is repeating itself; you wore it the last time you were upset with Noah."

"I don't have another dress," Sarah said shrugging her shoulders.

"Let me see if I can find you something," Christina said walking to the closet.

She pulled a white sleeveless button down shirt and a pair of black dress pants out of the closet a minute later.

"Do you still have those black strappy heels with the rhinestones?"

"They're in there somewhere."

"Put these on," Christina said shoving the clothes at Sarah.

Christina held up the shoes in victory just as Sarah finished changing. She stood back to inspect the outfit as Sarah strapped the shoes in place.

"Give me the dress," Christina said holding out her hand.

"Why?"

"Because, you are never wearing it again, I am going to burn it."

"It's the only one I have!" Sarah complained.

"Then we'll go shopping and I'll buy you a new one."

"Don't burn it. I'll put it in the back of my closet."

"Nope, it needs to be destroyed. Every time you see it you're going to get depressed again. You don't need another reminder of how much Noah hurt you."

"I'll burn it."

"I want to see you do it," Christina said folding her arms over her chest.

Sarah sighed in frustration as she stalked out of the room. She marched into the kitchen and grabbed the lighter fluid from underneath the kitchen sink then grabbed a box of matches from the drawer by the stove before going out the front door. She threw the dress into the fire barrel in the front yard before soaking it with lighter fluid. She struck a match then tossed it into the barrel. She turned her head to give Christina a hard look as she draped an arm over Sarah's shoulders.

"Don't you feel better now?" Christina asked quietly.

"A little," Sarah admitted.

"It'll get easier," Christina said as her hand moved down Sarah's back to rub soothing circles.

Rachel, Paul, Joe, and Bella watched from the door.

"What did we miss?" Bella asked.

"Christina did what I was too chicken to do. She forced Sarah to finally let go of all of her frustration towards Noah," Joe said.

"Good for her," Rachel said with a small smile.

"Come on. We shouldn't be intruding. This is a moment between the two of them," Paul said before pulling Rachel away from the door.

Bella and Joe followed them into the living room to find Embry, Hannah, Jacob, and CJ watching the four of them with curious eyes. Bella sat next to Jacob and he draped an arm over her shoulders.

"Christina has gotten more perceptive in the past few months," she said loud enough for only him to hear.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"You're going to have your work cut out for you this summer," she said with a light laugh.

"Perfect," he said with a sigh.

Someone knocked on the door and Rachel went to answer it. Ben stepped inside and immediately Sarah's attention was focused on him. He smiled in greeting as Rachel said something to him. He nodded before walking into the living room. Joe gave up his seat next to Sarah and patted Ben's shoulder as he passed him.

Ben sat next to Sarah quietly and her problems with Noah were forgotten for the time being. She would be so glad when she finally let go of everything that she and Noah had been through. Burning the dress had been a huge step towards breaking free of her emotional bondage.

Ben was handling things better than she thought he would. He never brought up that she was being neurotic or that she was holding onto someone who didn't want to be held onto like Christina and her mom did. Why hadn't she done something about this sooner?

She sat up straighter, determined not to bring anyone else down or make them feel sorry for her for one more second. Joe watched her from out of the corner of his eye and she gave him a look that let him know not to worry about her anymore.

Paul walked out of the room and could be heard going outside. Sarah noticed that Jacob and Embry were gone as well before she turned to her mom.

"Where did Dad, Uncle Jake, and Embry go?"

"Your dad and Jake went to get your graduation present; they'll be back in a few minutes," Rachel said reassuring her.

"I thought we discussed that no one was going to get me anything."

"Your father and I never agreed to that. Joe, Bella, Jacob and your Granddad did."

"Where is Poppa?"

"Embry went to get him."

Sarah broke eye contact with Rachel, but the idea of not knowing what was going on didn't sit well with her. She felt Ben shift next to her and she turned her head to look at him.

"I'll have to remember that you don't like surprises," he said with a teasing smile.

"I really don't," she said with a light laugh.

"You've never had a surprise birthday party before?"

"I had one for my sixteenth birthday. That was when my parents promised that they would never surprise me again."

"But you graduated today; you should have expected them to do something."

"I asked them not to."

"That's like telling a baby not to cry, they're going to do it anyway."

"Thank you, Ben," Rachel said.

Paul and Jacob came in and Paul could be heard in the foyer while Jacob came back into the living room.

"What is he doing?"

"Should we tell her?" Rachel asked.

"Sarah, where are your keys?" Paul asked.

"They're in my purse. Why?"

"I need them."

"What is going on?" Sarah demanded.

"Easy Sar, the last thing we need is for you to phase," Joe said from across the room.

"If you do, you're cleaning up the mess young lady," Rachel warned.

"We sold your car," Paul said from the doorway.

"What?" Sarah asked with a pained expression.

"Let him finish," Rachel urged.

"We sold your car so that we could buy you a new car."

"It's right outside, go look," Rachel said with a smile.

Sarah crossed the room to engulf her mom in a hug. She moved towards the door but Paul stopped her.

"Give this to Marc, the car is his now," he said holding out her car key.

"Yes Sir," she said before kissing his cheek.

Outside Embry was pushing Billy through the yard and Sarah met them at the Ford Focus sitting in the driveway.

"Nice wheels Kiddo. There not as nice as mine, but they'll get you around," Billy said with a smile.

"Thanks Poppa," she said with a smile.

Billy smiled tenderly at her as he and Embry passed her. Embry nodded his head in recognition when she waved at him before getting into her beat up Honda Civic. She planned on taking it down to Marc now, that way she could have a few minutes to collect her thoughts.

"Hey," she said loud enough to get their attention before they went inside.

Embry looked over his shoulder as he pushed Billy over the threshold.

"Can you send Ben out here?"

"Sure."

In the three weeks since Ben moved to Washington he hadn't seen Sam or Emily. Emily had brought it up the last time she had come over. Ben stepped out of the house and Sarah jerked her head towards the passenger's side. He jogged through the yard while Sarah started the car.

It took less than two minutes to drive to Marc's. Sam and Cassius were outside and Emily was standing at the door when the car stopped a few feet from the stairs. Emily stepped onto the porch taking Ben in.

"Look at you. You are the spitting of your dad."

"Yes ma'am."

"You don't happen to wear glasses do you?"

"I did when I was younger. I had laser eye surgery a few years ago."

"I'll take my keys now," Marc said draping an arm over Sarah's shoulders.

"They're in the ignition."

"What kind of car did they end up getting you?" Sam asked.

"A Focus," she said as Marc pushed her out of the way gently so that he could get to the car.

"I get saddled with a geriatric Civic, and you get a new car? That's not fair!" Marc said with a laugh.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing my dad told me. No teenager should get a brand new car for their first car. You need a few years of driving before you get one," Sarah replied.

"He's right. I got my mom's beat up Plymouth when I was sixteen. I've never had a new car and I turned out just fine."

"I guess it could be worse. I could be stuck with Joe's Expedition."

"See? At least you don't have a car that's on its last legs. You'll get a few years out of this one," Sam said nudging Marc's elbow with his.

"We can take Maggie off your hands. I think Aunt Bella and Uncle Jake were talking about getting ready to leave when we left."

"Maggie come on, Sarah's here to get you," Emily called into the house.

Maggie came running out of the house and stopped in front of Marc. He picked her up and she flung her arms around his neck. He held her tightly before putting her down a few seconds later. She waved to Sam and Emily over her shoulder as she followed Sarah and Ben up the driveway.

Maggie stood in between Ben and Sarah, holding their hands to keep from slipping up the steep hill. She talked to Sarah about her day with Marc and Ben could feel the love that the little girl had for Marc even though she was so young. He knew how she felt, every time he spent time with Sarah he never wanted to leave. He considered CJ and Cassie lucky because they lived together. He knew better than to ask Sarah to move in with him. She would never agree to it because she was only eighteen and she wanted to be close to her family for a few more years. They'd had that conversation not long after he moved to Washington.

She appreciated what he had done and was slowly starting to see him in a different light. She was getting to know him. It was best to take their time and not rush things. He wouldn't press her into doing anything until she felt that she was ready.

XXXX

Bella and Will stood in line waiting to board the plane. She could see Jacob and Maggie standing with everyone else waiting for their family members to board the plane. Will stood in front of her, his back pressed to her. This would be his first time on a plane and he was nervous. Her eyes met Jacob's and she gave him a smile. He mouthed that he loved her and she mouthed that she loved him too before moving up in line.

"How long is our flight gonna take Mom?" Will asked, looking up at her.

"Five hours. We should be in New York by nine, just in time for you to go to bed, so no sleeping on the plane because we have to be up early in the morning."

"We have a fourteen hour flight tomorrow," he said as he nodded his head slowly.

"There's no reason to be scared. Everything is going to be fine," she said putting a hand on his shoulder.

She ran a hand through his thick dark hair as she smiled down at him. He had the same hairstyle that Jacob had when he had first joined the pack. Will had seen pictures of Jacob and decided that was how he wanted his hair cut. Bella wasn't about to tell him no.

They moved up in line silently and Bella handed the woman at the door their tickets.

"Is this your first time flying?" she asked Will.

"Yes," he said politely.

"I'll make sure to let the captain know."

"Why?"

"So you can get your pilot wings," Bella said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I will?" Will asked, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Sure," she answered with a nod.

"Cool," he said with a wide smile.

"Enjoy your flight Mrs. Black," the woman said handing Bella back their tickets.

"Thank you," she said, nudging Will forward.

She looked over her shoulder as she passed through the door and Jacob waved with a small smile. She waved back and Maggie waved excitedly. Bella hoped that she and Will never lost their youthful exuberance. They reminded her of Jacob in that way.

XXXX

Christina was making dinner when someone knocked on the door half an hour after her dad and Maggie had come home. Maggie could be heard running down the hall to open the door before she let out an excited squeal.

Christina came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a kitchen towel to see Maggie attached to Jasper's leg. He gave the little girl a tender smile as he patted the top of her head. Maggie looked up at him with adoration as Alice talked to Jacob at the bottom of the stairs.

"Maggie let go of him," Jacob said.

"She's not bothering me. You've gotten taller little one," Jasper said picking her up.

"She's going to need new shoes soon," Christina said.

"Well then, it's a good thing Auntie Alice is here for the summer huh?" Alice said as she put a hand on Maggie's back.

"You don't need to. I can handle things here," Christina said with a shake of her head.

"You are trying to plan a wedding. That is the only thing you should be focusing on," Alice said with a shake of her head.

"Are you staying too Jasper?" Maggie asked.

"Not this time. I'm just dropping her off. Maybe next time," he said as he set her down.

Christina walked back into the kitchen to check on dinner and Alice followed her. Alice sat at the island watching Christina busy herself with stirring the pot on the stove.

"Have you gotten any planning done?"

"We set the date the other day, and Edward has asked Carlisle to marry us."

"That would be wonderful. When should I save the date for?"

"New Year's Eve," Christina said with a dreamy smile.

"A New Year's Eve wedding, I've always wanted to attend one of those," Alice said wistfully.

"We want to have it at the house."

"Do you want it to be large or small?"

"Something small, we don't want to make a big deal out of it. We aren't even going to have a bridal party."

"Why wait so long then?"

"It was the only time that all of my family could come up."

"Do you still plan on going to Paris for your honeymoon?"

"Mm hmm, Edward says that Paris is really beautiful in winter."

"Paris is beautiful any time of year, but it is most beautiful in winter."

Jasper walked in carrying Maggie. Christina shook her head with a smile. Maggie had had Jasper wrapped around her little finger since she was born. Alice had told her that Jasper wasn't a kid person before Maggie was born; but she couldn't see that now. Her little sister worshiped the shy, unassuming vampire and he doted on her as much as Jacob and Bella would let him. They made for an odd pair but to everyone that knew them they made sense.

Jacob came into the room and sat next to Jasper. Maggie climbed out of Jasper's lap and into Jacob's without a word. She laid her head on his shoulder as she watched Christina and Alice. Jasper and Jacob talked quietly while Alice and Christina continued to make dinner. It felt like a typical night for Jacob, he looked over his shoulder several times expecting to see Bella come through the kitchen door. He pushed the thought away with a sigh. Her being gone was going to be a big adjustment. He would call her later and talk to her about him coming to see her when she came back to the states.

XXXX

Hannah looked around the room, taking in the emptiness. Noah had been gone for three weeks and so far no one had heard from him. He was checking his messages because with as many as she had left him his message box should be full. She needed to leave the room before Stacia woke up from her nap. She walked into the kitchen to see her phone sitting on the counter. She looked at it for a fraction of a second more before crossing the room to pick it up. She pressed three on her speed dial and waited for Noah's voice mail to kick in.

"You've got Noah, leave a message."

"Hi Sweetie, I'm just calling for one of my three times a week talk with your voice mail. I don't mind, at least I know that you're listening to the messages. Sarah graduated yesterday. She invited your dad, brother, sister, and I. It was nice, but it wasn't the same without you there. She's doing a lot better. She's been spending a lot of time with Ben. I know that you want her to be happy, but that won't happen until you come home and the two of you can work out what is going on. I don't say the things I am saying to upset you, I am telling you this because someone needs to try to talk some sense into you. Your dad isn't doing well. You're being gone is starting to take a toll on him. Stacia hasn't asked about you in over a week, but I know that she thinks about you constantly. We all miss you, please come home soon," she said the last line quietly, fighting back tears as she hung up.

Stacia could be heard walking down the hall so Hannah quickly wiped her eyes before taking a deep breath. She smiled at the little girl as she walked into the kitchen. She sat at the kitchen table and Hannah knew exactly what she wanted. It was time for her lesson.

Hannah went to the living room to get the workbooks that they used every afternoon and when she came back into the kitchen Stacia already had a pencil, ready to get to work.

"Okay, today we are going to work on the letter N and the number fourteen."

"N for Noah," Stacia said pointing at the workbook.

"That's exactly right. N for Noah," Hannah praised her.

"Are we going to write Noah's name like we did for you, Daddy, and CJ?"

"Would you like to?"

"Yes ma'am. I want to show Noah when he comes back."

"I think he would like that," Hannah said with a small smile.

They worked until Hannah heard Embry's truck pull up in the driveway. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten.

"Finish up, I need to start dinner," she said pulling the chicken out of the sink.

Embry came in to see the sheet of paper with Noah's name covering every inch of the page. He picked it to look at it sadly. Hannah's eyes met his and she gave him a helpless look. He gave her a stern look before sitting the paper down. He didn't like that she had let Stacia do it but he knew that he wouldn't have been able to tell her no if he had been put in the same situation.

He came to stand behind Hannah after she had put the chicken in the oven. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she stepped into the embrace. He kissed behind her ear as he tightened his grip on her.

"Have you heard anything from Noah?" Embry asked hopefully.

"No. I called him today and had my usual talk with his voice mail."

"I'm going to ask Joe and Curtis to look for him."

"Why not CJ?" she asked, confused.

"Because CJ just might kill him," Embry said with a sigh.

"You're right, he might."

"I'll give him until Sunday to come home. Then I'll talk to Joe, hopefully they'll find him soon."

He hoped that it wouldn't come to that. He wanted Noah to come home on his own more than anyone. It was time to take drastic measures. He couldn't take Hannah's moodiness and Stacia's forlornness any longer.


	11. Moving On

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Hannah was in the garden with Stacia picking vegetables and pulling weeds when Sue's car pulled up in the driveway. Leah got out from the driver's side and Hannah could see someone in the passenger seat. Leah leaned into the car to talk to the person as Hannah pulled off her gloves. She made her way across the yard and once the suns glare was off the windshield she knew exactly who was in the car. Noah had finally come home.

She stopped at the front of the car, looking over her shoulder to Stacia who was busy picking strawberries. She turned her attention back to Noah, her eyes meeting his as she walked to the passenger door and pulled it open. Noah looked down at his hands in shame as she gave him a hurt, questioning look.

"You've been in Boston the whole time?"

"He went on the road with Ryan. Since Ryan hasn't been home for the past three weeks I didn't find out until last week. I brought him back as soon as I found out. He was scared that Embry and CJ would lash out at him, so we stayed at my moms."

"They've never scared you before."

"I've never screwed up this bad," Noah mumbled.

"Taking your underage girlfriend on a road trip without talking to her parents was a lot worse than this."

"Not to me it isn't," he said shaking his head slowly.

"Get out of the car, please," she said in a pleading voice.

Noah got out of the car and Hannah looked back towards the garden. Stacia was nowhere in sight. Her eyes searched the eyes quickly as panic surged through her. The front door slammed against the porch loudly and Stacia charged down the stairs. She ran at warp speed towards Noah, but Hannah was able to catch just before she latched onto him.

"Now isn't the best time for that. Let him come inside Stace."

"Why?" Stacia asked innocently.

"You can hug on him all you want later. I promise. He needs a little time to get readjusted."

"Like with CJ?"

"Mm hmm," Hannah said, running her fingers through Stacia's curls.

"CJ moved back in?"

"You're going to be sharing your room again," Hannah said with a nod.

Noah pulled his bags from the trunk while Hannah, Stacia, and Leah went into the house. He'd really made a mess of things this time. It was going to take a long time before anyone trusted him again. He had done a lot of thinking while he was gone. Sarah and Ben being together didn't bother him as much as it had in the beginning. If Ben made Sarah happy, than that was all that he could ask for. Ryan had told him a lot about Ben while they were traveling together. He wasn't a bad guy; he would be good for Sarah. He would treat her the way that she should be treated, the way that Noah never had, but had wanted to.

XXXX

Sarah sat behind the counter at her mom's studio looking through a magazine. She had three more hours until her shift was over and she was counting down the minutes. The door opened and she looked up from her magazine to see Leah shutting her umbrella. She crossed the room with a look of unrest.

"I brought Noah home. I didn't want you to find out from someone else."

"Like Noah?" she asked with a quizzical look.

"I don't think that he's going to be talking to you for a while. He's not proud of the way that he's been acting the last few months."

"That's funny, because he never acted like he was ashamed when we were together."

"He was scared of losing you, and when it finally happened it was like a slap in the face for him. It was the wakeup call that he needed. He never meant to hurt you, or lead you on."

Sarah nodded as the door opened again. Her mom's four o' clock appointment had shown up early. The couple signed in and Sarah went to the back to get her mom.

"Mr. Anderson and Miss Tuck are here."

"Tell them I'll be right there," Rachel said as she looked over a sheet of proofs.

"Leah is here too."

"Why is Leah here?"

"She wanted to let me know that she brought Noah back."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm a little bitter because he doesn't want to talk to me, but other than that I'm fine."

"You can go home if you want. I can handle the shoot by myself. They only want a few pictures."

"Thanks mom."

"I'll see you at home." Rachel said, kissing her temple and brushing her hair over her shoulder at the same time.

At home Paul and Joe were unloading Paul's truck.

"I thought that you didn't get off until six," Paul said, carrying a stack of plywood through the yard.

"Mom let me come home early."

"She never does that. What happened?" Joe asked.

"Noah came home," she said quietly.

She went into the house and looked through the freezer for something to take out for dinner before going back to her room. Her phone buzzed, but she ignored it. It was probably Marcus, letting her know that he had seen Noah. She really didn't feel like talking to him right now.

She never heard the front door open or someone come down the hall or her bedroom door open twenty minutes later. The person sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand on her arm, making her turn over onto her back. Ben looked down at her, giving her a worried look.

"Were you the one who texted me?"

"Yeah, my mom came to see me a little while ago."

"I thought that it was Marcus. I didn't want to talk to him."

"But you'll talk to me?"

"Always," she said with a smile.

"Are you okay?"

"I wasn't at first; but now that I've had time to process it I'm okay. I'm just glad that his family has him back. They were really worried about him."

"You don't want to talk to him?"

"Maybe in a few days," she said, shaking her head.

Sarah scooted over and pulled Ben down so that he was lying on his side next to her. He draped an arm over her waist then she buried her face in his neck. His hand slid up her back and he ran his fingers through her hair soothingly. She had never been treated like this by anyone other than her mom. Christina said that Edward did this kind of thing for her all the time and she had seen Jacob console Bella for weeks after her dad died. She had always wanted someone to do that for her, now that someone was, it felt right. She was thankful to be able to experience love in this way. Noah had loved her in his own way. Even if it was nontraditional, it was what she needed at the time. Now was the time to put all of that behind her. She was ready to move on.

XXXX

Sarah was going to burn a whole in the carpet if she paced through the living room one more time. When was Joe going to get there? He knew that she wanted to be at the school early so that she could sign up for the classes that she wanted before they were all full. He was fifteen minutes late. She had called him twice already and his phone had gone to voice mail after the first ring both times. They were going to have words when he got there.

She stopped in her tracks when someone knocked on the front door. That couldn't be Joe, he would walk right in. She sighed as she made her way down the hall. She opened the door, giving the person on the porch a cautious look. Noah stood on the porch with his hands in his pockets.

"Joe called my house and asked my mom to take you to sign up for classes. Stace is sick so she asked me to take you."

"If he had just called me I could have found another ride."

"He said that he had been trying to find you a ride for the past twenty minutes. My mom was a last resort."

"Of course he wouldn't answer his phone. He's avoiding me," she said stepping onto the porch.

She shook her head in dismay as she walked to his car. She couldn't believe that Joe would call Hannah. He knew that this was bound to happen at some point. He was forcing her to spend time with Noah so that they would have to work through their problems.

"How have you been?" Noah asked as he pulled out of her yard.

"I'm fine, you?"

"I'm okay, I guess," he said with a sigh.

"If being around me makes you uncomfortable I can call someone else and ask them to take me."

"Joe's already tried."

"I'm pretty sure Ben is..." she stopped before she could finish the sentence.

Ben would be the last person Noah would want to hear about.

"I can drop you off and leave so that Ben can pick you up if you think he's free."

"That'll be fine," she said quietly.

"I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself. I am the one who pursued you until you finally gave in. You had no control over who you imprinted on. I'll just have to get used to it."

"Is that what you think really happened?"

"I know that's how it happened."

"I wouldn't have done anything with you if I hadn't wanted to; so I am at fault just as much as you are."

The Community College in Forks was small, and the classes that Sarah wanted were only taught in the summer so she wanted to sign up for what she wanted before all the spots were taken. She turned to thank Noah for the ride but he wouldn't even look at her.

"I'll see you around," she said before opening the door.

"See ya," he said gruffly.

She got out of the car feeling a twenty pound weight weighing down on her heart. She tried to put the last thirty minutes behind her, but she just couldn't do it. She had a feeling that Joe had done what he had done on purpose.

XXXX

Joe was cleaning the kitchen after dinner when something hit him in the back of the head. The glass that hit him shattered as it fell to the floor.

"What the hell?!" he said spinning around to see Sarah giving him a venomous look.

"You bastard!" she shouted.

"What's going on?" Paul asked from behind Sarah.

"She threw a glass at me!"

"It's not like it broke against your head," she shot back with a roll of her eyes.

"Sarah, why did you throw a glass at him?"

"He knows why," she said still glaring at Joe.

"What did you do?"

"I called Noah and asked him to take her to sign up for her classes," Joe mumbled under her breath.

"You did what?"

"He said that he called Noah and asked him to take me to sign up for my classes."

"Tell me you didn't," Paul said giving Joe a stern look.

"Yes he did, and he had Noah lie to me about how he did it."

"Clean that up. Sarah, next time take your aggression out without breaking something," Paul said pointing at Joe, giving him hard look.

Sarah went to her room and closed the door. She threw herself onto the bed face down with a grunt. She couldn't believe that Joe would do that. He had betrayed her trust and then he had expected her not to be upset about it. Her door opened and Joe's silhouette could be seen from the light pouring into the room from the hall.

"What do you want?"

"I want to apologize."

"Is Dad making you, or are you honestly sorry?"

"I'm sorry. I thought that if the two of you had a chance to talk that you would be able to work out your problems."

"He couldn't even look at me Joe. Do you know how much that hurts?"

"I was trying to help."

"Next time don't bother. You can go now."

"I wanted to ask you if you could fill in for CJ tonight. He has a case coming up in a few days and he needs to prepare for it."

"I guess," she mumbled.

"Thank you," he said before shutting the door.

She tucked her arms underneath her head with a sigh. Pretty soon Joe would be leaving to make up for the semester that he had missed that winter. She didn't want to be mad at him until he left. She needed to be the bigger person and accept his apology. Even if he had hurt her, his intentions had been good. He was trying to mend the relationship between her and Noah. No one was going to be able to mend that except them. She had no idea how long it was going to take but she would work at it until they were back to the way things used to be because Noah was too important to her as a friend to not have him in her life.


	12. Light Years from Normal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The sound of tape being ripped off of a tape dispenser echoed throughout the house. Noah had been home less than three days when CJ decided to move back into his apartment. He had only moved home to help his parents around the house and now that Noah was home he wasn't needed. It was time that he let his parents deal with Noah and stop being the mediator. He had his own issues to deal with.

In less than a week he would become the acting Alpha while Joe went back to school to finish his senior year. It would be a test to see if the pack could manage things while Joe went to Medical School in the fall. He had gotten his acceptance letter from Harvard yesterday and no one was more proud than his parents.

Things were changing so fast that CJ felt like he could hardly keep up sometimes. How was he supposed to work, keep the peace between the pack and protect the Reservation? He was going to need to talk to Joe about asking Curtis to step up and do more so that not all the work fell on him.

Noah leaned against the bedroom door watching CJ tape a box shut. His arms were folded over his chest and his lips formed a hard line.

"Is that the last one?" he asked.

"Yep, you'll have the room to yourself tonight."

"I'd rather have you here."

"I've got a lot going on Noah. I can't stay here just because you want me to. I can't always help you fight your battles," CJ said with a sigh.

"I know that," Noah said sharply.

"It's time that you grew up. You shouldn't need me around to protect you from Dad."

"That's really nice. Thanks Ceej."

"Look, I didn't say that to be mean. You're twenty two and you act like you're fifteen. You're a college graduate and what do you have to show for it?"

"Not all of us knew what we wanted to be when we thirteen Big Bro."

"I didn't say that you had to be like me. I'm just saying that you should act your age. Marcus is only sixteen and he is more mature than you are."

"Are you done? Or do you have something else to say?"

"It just kills you that not everyone's lives revolve around you, doesn't it?"

"Boys," Hannah warned.

"Sorry Ma," CJ said with a sigh.

Noah shook his head before pushing away from the door. The front door opened and shut and his car rumbled to life a minute later. Hannah came into the room after he had pulled out of the yard.

"Do you have to be so hard on him?" she asked, folding a pair of jeans then putting them into a bag on the bed.

"He brought it upon himself Mom. I have a lot going on right now and I do not need him trying to guilt trip me into staying."

"He's going through a lot right now too in case you hadn't noticed."

"Did you ever think that maybe I am not too hard on him but that you let him get away with too much?"

"I am your mother and I did not raise you to talk to me that way Colten Jeremiah. All that I am asking is for you to cut him some slack. He is trying to change."

"Yes Ma'am," he said with a sigh.

CJ started carrying boxes to his truck and Noah still hadn't come home by the time he was finished half an hour later. He would go looking for him after he had dropped his stuff off at the apartment and apologize. Right now all he wanted to do was see Cassie. She would be the only person to calm him down after what had happened.

XXXX

Jacob was going over the payroll for the upcoming week when his phone rang at nine thirty on a Saturday night. He picked it up and smiled when he saw Bella's face on the screen.

"Hey, Beautiful," he said huskily.

"Hey, yourself," Bella greeted him.

"Where are you?"

"We are in Scotland. What are you up to?"

"I'm going over the payroll for next week and wishing that you were here to keep me from wanting to throw my laptop up against the wall."

"You never have been good at math. Maybe you should hire someone to do the payroll for you."

"Do you know somebody?" he asked hopefully.

"No," she said with a laugh.

"It was worth a shot. What's Will up to?"

"He's in the shower. What time is it there?"

"Nine thirty, why?" he asked curiously.

"Is Maggie at a friend's house?"

"No, she asleep," he said slowly.

"How did you manage to get her to go to bed before ten on a Saturday?"

"We had a busy day today."

"What did you guys do?"

"We went to the park and then I took her to my Dad's because he needed me to do some work around the house so she got to see Sarah and Marcus. Then I took her to see that movie that she wanted to see."

"There's a couple that she wants to see. Which one was it?"

"The one about the little girl who wants to raise horses," he explained.

"You took her to see that? You get major Dad points."

"I'm not done. We went out to dinner too. She passed out on the car ride home and she's been asleep ever since."

"What time was that?"

"An hour ago," he guessed.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"We've only got five more weeks until I come home."

"That's too long," Jacob groaned.

"Will wants to talk to you."

"Put him on."

"Hey, Dad!" Will exclaimed.

"Hey Buddy."

"Ciamar a tha thu?"

"What?"

"I asked how do you do in Gaelic. A guy at the bookstore taught me how to say it yesterday."

"Well, at least you're getting an education while you're gone."

"What's Maggie doing?"

"She's in bed, I wore her out today."

"Tell her I got her something."

"I'll let her know."

"Here's Mom."

"He has been waiting to say that to you for the past two hours."

"What time is it there?"

"It's just after seven in the morning."

"You guys are headed out today?"

"We should be in Argentina by tonight."

"He isn't giving you any trouble is he?"

"No, he's been wonderful. There are times when he misses you and Maggie but I can pick up on it pretty quickly."

"I should let you finish getting ready to go. Call me when you get in tonight."

"Ti Amo, Jake," she said.

"Ti Amo," he said lovingly.

He hung the phone a few seconds later then closed down his laptop. He would call Claire in the morning and ask her to go over everything for him. He went through the house, making sure that all of the lights were out before heading upstairs. In the bedroom he stripped down to his boxers before getting into bed. He was reading when the door opened an hour later. Maggie came in, dragging her favorite stuffed animal behind her. She climbed onto Bella's side of the bed and Jacob helped her get situated underneath the covers before closing his book and turning out the light.

"'Night, Daddy," she said tiredly.

"'Night Baby," he said after kissing her temple.

She lay on her side, her body molding to his the same way Bella's did. He draped an arm over her waist before her head came to rest against his chest. They fell asleep instantly.

XXXX

Sarah was on the phone when the door to the studio opened. She was writing something in the appointment book as the person came to stand at the counter. She entered the appointment into the computer before acknowledging the person. Her eyes met crystal blue ones and she smiled in response. Ben smiled back as she came to stand in front of him.

"I thought that you were working today."

"My meeting got rescheduled."

"I wish all of today's appointments would get rescheduled."

"Where's your mom?"

"She's sick. I've been trying to get in touch with Michele but as usual all I am getting is her voice mail."

"So she does this often?"

"She avoids our calls every day that she has off. I wish that mom would just find someone else and get it over with."

"Call your mom and let her know."

"She would just come in. She needs to rest."

"I can keep you company."

"I'd like that," she said with a smile.

He smiled back before sitting on the couch by the front window. He pulled his laptop from its bag and they worked silently for half an hour before the first appointment for the day came in. She could tell as soon as the mother brought her two sons in that she was going to have her work cut out for her.

The youngest of the boys was so clingy that his mother couldn't be farther than a few feet away without him crying and reaching out for her. He couldn't have been older than a year old and his older brother was running through studio, knocking over equipment in his wake.

"Tyler is probably just hungry. Is there a bathroom where I can feed him?"

"You need to take him to the bathroom to feed him?" Sarah asked.

"He's still breastfeeding," The mother said picking up the baby.

Sarah sat down on the stool behind the camera with a sigh before pointing to the hall off the studio. The six year old had now moved to pulling picture proofs from off her mom's desk and throwing them up in the air only to dance around as they fell to his feet.

"Hey kid, do you think you could stop that?" Sarah asked.

"No," The little boy said as he grabbed more proofs.

"Look, I really need you to go back and sit in front of the camera. Your mom will be back in a minute."

"You can't tell me what to do!" he screamed as he started jumping up and down.

Sarah groaned as she dug her palms into her eyes. She had no idea what she was doing. Her mom was always the one who dealt with the out of control kids. The kid was in full temper tantrum mode when she got an idea.

"Hey Kid, if you go and sit down I'll see about finding you a sucker."

"I have those at home," he said giving her a dark look.

"Okay then, how about we play a game?" Ben asked from the door.

"What kind of game?"

"Simon Says."

"My name is Simon," he said calming down.

"Simon is my middle name."

"You can be Simon, I'm always Simon. It's gets boring after a while," The boy said rolling his eyes.

"Ready?"

"Uh huh," Simon said, nodding his head excitedly.

"Okay, first we're going to make it interesting."

"Okay."

"If you lose, you have to do whatever she wants," Ben said jerking his thumb at Sarah.

"You've got a deal."

"Okay. Simon says clean up the mess you made."

Simon ran around the desk gathering proof sheets and stacking them neatly on the edge of the desk. Sarah would put them back in order later. Next he moved to the shelves and put the books that he had pulled down back where they belonged and finally he put the toys that he had pulled out of the toy box back.

"You are a genius," Sarah said loud enough for only Ben to hear.

"Simon Says is Drew's favorite game. It's the only way anybody can get her to do her chores."

"Done," Simon said closing the toy box lid.

"Good job. Now, Simon says go and sit down in front of the camera."

His mother came out of the bathroom just as Simon got himself resituated on the carpet. She sat Tyler in his older brother's arms and turned to walk away. Tyler started to whimper and stretched out his arms for his mother.

"I hate to ask you do this, but could you leave the room? I think that it would be best," Sarah politely said to the mother.

The mother looked at her unsurely before Ben led her out of the room. The babies wailing reached an ear bleeding decibel and Sarah stepped from behind the camera.

"Hey Simon, does Tyler have a favorite toy that he could play with in his bag?"

"No, but I saw a bear in the box that he might like."

He ran to the box and dug through it looking for the bear. He came back holding it out in front of him. Tyler calmed down to hiccups when Simon placed the bear in his hands.

"That's a good boy Tyler," Sarah said encouragingly.

The baby looked up at her with a wide smile, and she could see that his front teeth had already come in. She got back behind the camera and got the boys to look at the camera. She took a few pictures before placing Tyler in Simon's lap. Simon immediately wrapped his little arms around his baby brother and placed his chin on his shoulder, giving the camera a shy smile. Next she had Simon lie on the floor and she sat Tyler on his back. Simon looked over his shoulder and the baby looked down at his brother, both of them grinning ear to ear.

"Ben, could you go get their mom?" she said once she was done.

Their mother came in and Tyler held up the bear to show it to her. She looked at Sarah curiously and she gave the woman an encouraging smile. They were going over the photos on the computer when the phone rang. Sarah walked to the phone while the mother decided which photo she wanted.

"Picture Perfect Studio, this is Sarah, how can I help you?"

"Hey Sar, it's Farah."

"Please tell me that you are coming in this afternoon."

"Olivia has been throwing up for the past hour and a half. I'm on my way to the emergency room."

Sarah whined quietly and Farah sighed.

"Isn't your mom there?"

"No, she's at home, she's sick too. I can't get in touch with Michelle and Amy is out of town."

"I can have my mom meet me at the hospital and then I can come in."

"No, you take care of Olivia. I hope she feels better."

"Did the Baker boys come in?"

"Yes," Sarah said with disdain.

"Oh boy," Farah said with a sigh.

"You got that right."

"I really am sorry."

"Don't apologize. I'll make it work."

"I'd better let you go. It's almost time for the McLaren triplets to come in."

The McLaren triplets were three snouser/pit bull dogs that hated Sarah with a passion. One of them had tried to bite her when they were brought in for their consultation. She just hoped that their owner remembered to bring their muzzles this time.

Sarah made her way back to Mrs. Baker a minute later and she was ready to place her order. She had gone with one of the pictures of Tyler in Simon's lap. Simon had finally warmed up to the camera after she had taken five pictures and was looking down at Tyler and the baby was giving the camera a wide smile. It was her favorite too.

She heard the dogs before she saw them half an hour later. The owner had remembered to bring their muzzles, which Sarah was grateful for. Ben stared at the dogs with wide eyes. They were massive, and looked like they could tear your arm off.

"Hi Sarah, is your mom ready?" Nina McLaren asked.

"She isn't here today. I'll be taking the pictures."

"I can come in when she's working. I know working with these guys makes you uncomfortable."

"I'll call her and see if it's okay."

"Tell her I'll pay for today too."

"Yes Ma'am," Sarah said reaching for the phone.

"Hello?" Rachel asked her voice raspy.

"Hey Mom, Mrs. McLaren is here and she says that she is willing to pay for today if you let her reschedule."

"I forgot that she was coming in today," Rachel said with a groan.

"Should I see if we can fit her in next week?"

"Go ahead. Is Farah there yet?"

"Don't worry; I've got everything under control."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Olivia was rushed to the emergency room a little while ago. I'm still trying to get in touch with Michelle."

"I'll send Joe in when he gets home."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Michelle is so fired."

"You said that the last time she did this."

"I mean it this time."

"I'll see you later. Get some rest."

She punched a few keys on the computer and was able to schedule Mrs. McLaren an appointment for the next week. She had another hour before the next appointment came in. Ben watched as the three dogs walked out of the studio single file before turning back to Sarah. She was leaning over the counter with her head resting on her arms.

"You look like you could use a pick me up."

"Coffee," she mumbled.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

"M'kay," she said without lifting her head.

The store was finally void of noise and she was thankful for it. If her mom didn't fire Michelle she was going to ask Amy to do it. She had just recently been moved up to full time and her mom was still training her so that she could be an assistant manager along with Amy. Her mom had been adamant that Sarah keep up with her school work so she had only worked a few hours a couple of days a week until a few weeks ago. She wasn't prepared to handle this, not by herself, not yet.

The door opened and Paul came in shaking rain off of his jacket. Sarah watched him with curious eyes as he lifted up the partition and came to stand next to her.

"What are you doing here? You know even less than I do about working here."

"Then you can teach me. You shouldn't be here by yourself," he said before draping an arm over her shoulders.

"Thank you Daddy," she said leaning against him.

The door opened again and Ben came in with a bag and a cup holder balanced in one hand while he tried to shut the door that the wind was trying to force back open. He set the bag and cup holder on the counter before looking up. His eyes met Paul's as Paul gave him a stern look.

"You know that you are not supposed to be here while she is working," he said gruffly.

"He hasn't done anything except sit by the window and work on his computer all day," Sarah explained.

"Does your mother know that he is here?"

"No. He hasn't helped me at all. I've done everything myself, I swear," she pleaded.

"I guess he can stay since he was nice enough to go and get you lunch. I'm going to go take inventory. Your mom said that the supply list had to be sent out by Monday," he said walking to the back.

"Do you know how to do that?"

"Your mom gave me a list," he called over his shoulder.

Once Paul was in the back Sarah made her way down the counter to where Ben stood. She opened the bag and pulled out a sandwich container while he set her drink in front of her. They ate in silence, the wind beating the rain against the windows was the only sound. She was glad that he had shown up today. She would be ready to pull her hair out if she'd had to deal with everything by herself.

XXXX

Christina heard the music as soon as she got out of the car. Edward had rarely played since she had been changed. He had told her once that playing music was like going to therapy for him. It was soothing and it took his mind off of everything that was going on around him. She opened the front door silently, not wanting to disturb him.

"Love?" he called, but continued playing.

She took her time shaking her umbrella then taking off her jacket before making her way through the front room. He had stopped playing around the time that she was taking off her shoes. He watched her now with mournful eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Travis left this morning. He decided that he couldn't live the life that we do," he said in sorrow.

"But you've been working with him. I thought that he was showing progress."

"I thought so too, there were times when he would get discouraged; but I would encourage him and tell him that he had come so far in such a short amount of time."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No. I did warn him to head west or north and to stay clear of the reservation. He hasn't had to deal with the wolves yet and I don't want him lashing out at them."

The thought of Travis running into Marcus or even Sarah when he was hunting made her frantic with worry. He knew what they were capable of even if he had not had to face them directly since Boston. He would not back down from whatever warning the wolves gave him which would force them to kill him. She hoped for his sake that he had listened to Edward's warning.

She crossed the room to stand in front of him. He pulled her into his arms before placing his cheek on top of her head. Edward was the most compassionate person she had ever met. He cared so much for the people in his life that she thought sometimes that there couldn't be more people added to their already crowded house. He was a good person and she was proud to call him her mate.


	13. One Giant Leap Forward, No Looking Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I do own the plethora of OC characters that have been introduced in this series. I hope that clears things up for you.

AN: I have been working on this since last week. I had some health issues but now I'm feeling better. Sorry for the delay.

Warning: This chapter contains lemon.

Joe turned in a slow circle, taking in his empty room. All of his boxes were in his truck for the long trip to Cambridge. His mom had been nostalgic all week bringing up things that he hadn't thought about in years. He knew that the next three years weren't going to be easy and he still had a residency to get through before he became a doctor but he thought that all the time and hard work would be worth it. Rachel was more proud of him than anyone for pursuing the dream that she had been forced to give up.

A soft knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder to see his dad. Paul looked at him thoughtfully with his arms folded over his chest.

"Try not to let you hair grow too wild. You'll still phase at the first sign of danger until you learn to control it."

"Yes Sir."

"Don't wait too long in between calling your mom and sister either. You know how they worry," he advised.

Joe nodded in agreement before running a hand through his recently shorn hair. He'd had his mom buzz it the night before and he still wasn't used to feeling the bristles between his fingers. He walked out of the room to be stopped by his dad. Paul slipped something into his palm before gently thumping him on the shoulder. He stopped at Sarah's door to see her inspecting herself in the mirror.

"What time is he picking you up?"

"I told him that I would call him after you left," she said meeting his eyes in the mirror.

"You're not too old to hug your brother goodbye are you?" he asked, stepping into the room.

She met him in the middle of the room and he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her tightly. She rested her arms on his shoulders before placing her head against his chest.

"Don't give CJ too much trouble alight?" he said giving her a stern look.

"I'll be nice as long as he is," she promised.

"You know how competitive he is. He's not used you not needing his help. Show him that you can be a team player and everything will be fine."

"I'll cut him some slack," she said with an exaggerated eye roll.

"That's all I'm asking for."

He let go of her and turned, not seeing her wipe a tear from her eye. His mom met him at the door with a paper lunch bag. The distinct smell of meatloaf filled his nose and he smiled thankfully.

"This should hold you until the morning. You'll call when you stop tonight?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Did your dad give you the gas card?"

He held out his hand to show her what his dad had put there less than two minutes before.

"Be safe," she said quietly.

"I will Ma," he promised.

"I love you," she said sadly.

"I love you too."

"You should go," Paul said from the living room.

"Go," Rachel said before brushing her fingers over her eyes.

Sarah grabbed her phone from off of her desk as the taillights from Joe's truck flashed through her window. Ben picked up his phone on the first ring and told her that he would be there to get her in half an hour. That gave her a little extra time to finish getting ready. He had finally worked up the courage to ask her out after spending the day with her at the studio last weekend. She had been waiting patiently for him to ask her out for nearly a month. Now that he had she was nervous.

She hadn't been out on a date in over a year and she felt like she was out of practice. Noah wasn't the go out on a date type unless it was there anniversary. They hadn't even gone to any of her school dances together. He would rather grab something to eat and then go to the beach to hang out and according to Christina that did not qualify as a date. Sarah had just been thankful to spend time with Noah.

Rachel came to sit on her bed while she applied mascara. She watched her daughter thoughtfully, remembering her first date with Paul. She had given Sarah the sex talk not long before she and Noah had started dating. She knew that Sarah had been sexually active since she was sixteen and she hadn't liked the idea of putting her on birth control but Paul had persisted. Sarah was older now and she was smart enough to make her own decisions.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little, I've got this sinking feeling that something is going to wrong," she said with a nervous sigh.

"Where is he taking you?"

"We're going to an art exhibit in Port Angeles."

"That sounds nice."

"Yeah," she said with a small smile.

"He knows that you have to be home by one, doesn't he?"

"Yes Ma'am."

A pair of headlights shined into her room making each of them wonder who it was. Ben wouldn't be there for another ten minutes. Paul answered the door and Embry's voice could be heard filtering down the hall. Sarah continued applying her makeup and Rachel went to see if she could get the guys anything before the baseball game started. Her dad came in being pushed by Quil.

"Do you all need anything before I go see Hannah?" she asked once she was finished.

"You aren't going to stay until Ben gets here?" Paul questioned.

"It's not her first date Paul; there's no need to make a big deal out of it," she said with a shrug.

"Where fine Rachel, if we need anything I'm sure we can fend for ourselves. You go and have fun," Billy said with a warm smile.

"Yeah Rach, don't ruin Quil's last night out before his kid is born," Embry said, gently pushing her out the door.

"Even when Jake isn't here someone has to say something that he would say. I'm going," she said with a shake of her head.

Ben passed her as she was turning to walk up Embry and Hannah's driveway. She waved and he nodded with a polite smile. At the house Embry opened the door to let Ben in and Billy pushed himself to Sarah's room to tell him that he was there. She turned to see him smiling enduringly up at her.

"You look beautiful Honey."

"Thanks Poppa," she said, smiling shyly.

"You look as nervous as your grandma was on our first date."

"I am a little nervous," she said with a light laugh.

"There's no need to be nervous," he said with a shake of his head.

She leaned down to kiss his cheek lightly and he patted her arm affectionately. Her eyes met Ben's who was waiting just inside the living room for her. She tuned out the noise from everyone else as she took a fortifying breath. Billy was right, there was no reason to be nervous, she had known Ben her entire life and she knew that he would never treat her unfairly or hurt her.

They left quietly, neither of them noticing that they were being watched. Noah sighed before reaching into the refrigerator for a beer. CJ noticed his change in demeanor from the living room and met him in the hall.

"You okay?"

"Peachy," he said darkly.

"You knew that they were bound to start their relationship sooner or later."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less," Noah said with a mournful shake of his head.

"You should talk to her," CJ broached.

Noah hadn't seen or talked to Sarah since taking her to sign up for her college classes three weeks before. He had been going out of his way to give her the space that she deserved. He knew that he should be happy for her since she had found someone who made her happy but a part of him was bitter and wondered when things wouldn't be so hard for them. He wanted so badly to call her at night when he had trouble sleeping just to hear her voice the way he had when they were younger. Everything around him was changing while he stayed the same. Would it always be this hard?

XXXX

Sarah felt better once she realized that Ben was as nervous as she was. They didn't talk much on the hour long drive to Port Angeles. Once they were at the gallery Ben felt confident enough to take her hand and lead her through the throng of people. She was glad that he was being careful and taking his time. Her mom had once told her that he reminded her of Ryan when he was younger. He just needed someone who would bring him out of his shell. They were observing a piece of abstract art when he finally broke the silence.

"This painting conveys so much emotion. You can almost feel what the artist was going through at the time."

"I know. I think the use of the dark shading and harsh lines mean that they were going through a great deal when they painted this."

"I think so too," he said with a nod.

"It's kind of depressing actually. Just because you're going through hard times doesn't mean that the world is going to end," she said skeptically.

"I could not have said it better myself. Do you want to get out of here?"

"Please," she said giving him doe eyes.

"Come on," he said pulling her along.

They walked down the street talking leisurely. They came to a stop in front of the movie theater.

"My parents come here all of the time when they're on town. They would leave us with Nana and Pop Pop and make a night out of it. Curtis and I would flood my mom with questions about what they had done and most of the time she said that they just walked for hours talking about anything and everything."

"My parents weren't the going to the movies type. If they come into the city it's usually to see a play or go to a concert."

"What about you? What do you normally do when you come to the city?"

"Bella and my mom used to take me and Christina into the city once a month and we'd go shopping and go out to lunch. I've been known to go to the movies with friends too."

"Why don't we see what's playing and take things from there?"

Sarah nodded with a smile before letting him lead her across the street. She hadn't expected things to be easy for them at the start but she was glad that they were past the awkwardness of the night. They waited in line for than five minutes and decided to forgo the concession stand since the movie they had chosen to see would be starting in a few minutes.

The house lights were starting to dim as the found seats near the back. The theater was nearly full and people had had to move so that they could get to their seats in the middle of the row. Sarah rested an arm on the arm rest while Ben kept his hands in his lap for the first half an hour of the movie. Sarah took hold of one of his hands and placed their intertwined hands back on the arm rest. She looked over to see him watching her and she gave him a reassuring smile before turning her attention back to the movie.

After the movie they decided to grab something to eat. They found a restaurant where they could eat outside and they talked while they waited for the waitress to come back with their drink order.

"I don't know about you, but I'm having a good time. I haven't been to the city in a while."

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure," she said cautiously.

"How long were you and Noah together?"

"We dated for almost two years and then we saw each other secretly for six months late last year and early this year," she admitted quietly.

"Curtis told me that he thought that the two of you were still seeing each other when you imprinted on me."

"We were. I ended things the day after I came back from Boston," she said with a nod.

"I take it that you two didn't have a conventional relationship."

"No, we didn't. I wanted to shout from the rooftops how happy I was when I realized that I was in love with him but he doesn't like public declarations of affection. I don't think he so much as put his arm around me in public," she said sadly.

"What was he like when the two of you were alone?"

"He was so sweet and funny, he said that I brought out the best in him."

"We can talk about something else if talking about him makes you uncomfortable," he reasoned.

"No, it's fine. It's good to remember those times, but if I ever have to go through anything like it again I just might shoot someone."

"Thanks for the warning," he said with a laugh.

She laughed with a shake of her head. She hoped that Noah found someone that found someone someday. Someone who could make him change for the better the way that she had wanted to but hadn't been able to. She didn't like the idea of him being alone for the rest of his life.

XXXX

There was someone waiting to get Jacob and Alice's bags as soon as they stepped out of the cab at the hotel. It had been five long weeks since Jacob had seen Bella and more energy than was normal coursed through him at the thought of being so close to her after not seeing her for so long. They were early and Bella had promised to leave a key for him at the front desk.

Jacob retrieved the key while Alice checked herself in. She had offered to have Will stay with her for the weekend so that Jacob and Bella could have some much needed time alone. In the elevator Alice took hold of Jacob's hand, squeezing it gently before getting off on her floor.

"Don't worry, Will and I are going to have a great time," she said with a coy smile.

"Thank you for coming with me this weekend."

"No thanks needed," she said with a wink before the doors closed.

Once in the hotel room Jacob called for room service then he called a local florist to make sure that the flowers that he had ordered had been delivered to Bella. He lay down on the bed and flipped through channels, not really watching anything until he heard someone outside the room. There was a brisk knock and Jacob checked the privacy hole to look out into the hall. A young girl in a bell person's uniform stood outside with a cart. He opened the door and the girl pushed the cart inside, leaving it in the center of the room and Jacob gave the girl a tip before deciding to take a shower. Bella would be there soon.

He was washing his hair when the glass door opened and Bella stepped in. She ran her hands over his back making her way to his shoulders before pressing herself flush against him. He stepped away, turning to face her.

"Hi," she said with a dreamy smile.

"Hey," he greeted her with a crooked smile.

"Why did our son get off on the thirteenth floor?"

"He's staying with Alice."

"Ah," she said with a nod.

Jacob cupped the back of her neck before leaning down to press his lips to hers in a forceful kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning when his tongue pushed its way past her lips. His hands roamed her body never staying in one place for longer than a few seconds. She grew impatient and wrapped a leg around his waist before guiding him inside of her. He pressed her against the wall to keep her balanced as the kiss grew more heated.

Bella ground herself against him not wanting the feelings coursing through her to end. Jacob palmed her breast, running his nails over the sensitive nubs. She arched her back giving herself over to him. He pumped in and out of her slowly, not wanting things to be over too quickly. He broke the kiss only because he was lacking oxygen. Bella stared up at him, her eyes wild and her chest heaving. He was panting and his mouth was slack as she placed her head on his chest.

She kissed his chest lightly before moving to his neck then finally his ear. She sucked on the lobe, her teeth grazing it making him moan in appreciation. Her breath was coming in short spurts as she came forcefully a minute later moaning his name into his ear. He pumped into a few more times before unloading his seed into her.

She unwound her leg from around him as she pushed her wet hair out of her face with a shaky breath. They were both in their forties but had the sexual appetites of a couple in their twenties. They still fell into bed in a tangle of limbs at least three nights a week when Bella wasn't working under a deadline. They were greedy and hoped that things never changed.

XXXX

CJ was burning the midnight oil when he heard the door to his office open. The alarm was quickly silenced before whoever it was walked towards his office. Cassie came into view holding up a bag of food and a drink for him. He smiled thankfully before pushing away from his desk. He met her in the middle of the room and took the bag from her. She stepped into his arms and he buried his face in her hair. Joe had been gone for only a few days and already CJ felt like he was drowning. Curtis was doing as much as possible on his own when CJ had to be in court or when he absolutely had to get some work done in the office like now.

"You're working yourself too hard," she said in concern.

"I don't have much of a choice. I don't see how Joe was able to handle this," he said with a weary sigh.

"Joe didn't have the work load that you do. Ask Curtis to step up."

"If he steps up anymore he'll have to quit his job," he said with a shake of his head.

"What about Sarah or Marc?"

"Marc has summer school and I don't think Sarah can handle it."

"How do you know if you don't ask her?" she reasoned.

"I guess that I could ask her to take over my day shifts so that more nights like this wouldn't happen."

"You do that; because our bed is starting to look pretty lonely without you in it."

He smiled before threading his fingers in her hair. He leaned down to brush his lips to hers before she pulled away.

"You need to eat. You're losing the weight that you put on over the winter," she ordered him.

"Yes, Ma'am." he said before walking around his desk to sit down again.

"I was talking to Marc earlier and he said that you stopped by parent's house before coming in tonight but he didn't know why."

"I don't care how old he gets that kid will always be a squealer," he said with a sigh and shook his head.

"So going over there was supposed to be a secret?"

"No, I just wish that he could keep things to himself."

"How would I find out top secret info otherwise?" she teased.

He pulled open a drawer of his desk and dug around inside until his fingers closed around what he wanted. He pulled it out and placed his hand palm side down on the desk in front of her. She looked down at his hand in confusion then her eyes widened in surprise when he pulled his hand away. There was a thin black leather cord bracelet sitting where his hand had just been.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked nervously.

"It's not as nice as Amanda's or as unique as Bella's, but I did make it myself," he said sheepishly.

"Baby, I love it, but you didn't have to go over to my parent's house to ask their permission to give me this," she said picking it up.

She turned it over in her hand, feeling the soft leather against her fingers. She didn't notice that he was rifling through his desk once more as she tied the bracelet to her wrist.

"I didn't go over for that. I went over there to ask for your dad's permission to ask you to marry me."

Her eyes met his in surprise before focusing on the small black box in his palm. She laughed breathlessly as he opened the box. The ring had a thin gold band and the diamond was a half carat pink diamond.

"Cassandra Jaymes Uley, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly.

"It's not as big as the one I wanted to get you, but I would have had to take out a mortgage on the office to get it."

"You remembered that I love pink diamonds," she said in awe.

"Of course I did, I remember everything that you say," he said with a scoff.

"I love you," she said with tears in her eyes.

"I love you too."

He leaned over the desk and she met him half way to meet him with a kiss. He cradled her neck and her hands rested on his shoulders. They both felt that they were old enough to handle being married. Their parents had been younger than they were when they got married and they made being married look effortless. They were ready for the next step.

AN2: I wanted to let you know about a great writer whose stories I cannot get enough of. Her name is TwilightCakes and her stuff is awesome. She writes Twilight and Hunger Games fanfic and I haven't read anything of hers that I haven't liked. She mainly writes Jake/Nessie stories but they are the only ones that I can read without thinking of Renesme as the little girl that she is in Breaking Dawn. Her HG story Cruel Summer gave me the idea to write a summer Twilight story of my own. It is definitely worth reading if you're into HG fanfic.


	14. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: I am having problems with my Microsoft Word software right now so this was written on WordPad. I read through this a few times but there might be a few spelling or grammar errors. If you find any, please let me know.**

After a month of having no contact with Noah Sarah was finally ready to confront him. There was no easy way to do it but it needed to be done. His stubborness and frustration was hanging over her like a black cloud, keeping her from moving on. Ben was a nice guy, but he wasn't a saint. She could see what her hesitation to let go did to him. She didn't like hurting him and washing her hands of Noah would be the closure that she needed before she could put all of her focus on him.

Confronting Noah wasn't going to be easy. He was known for being a ticking time bomb when he didn't get what he wanted. Stronger people than Sarah had been broken and ostrosized by him. She felt that Ben was worth it.

She didn't let anyone know her decision because they would only try to talk her out of it. Embry and Hannah's front yard was empty but she could see Noah's car in the back yard where he had been working on it recently. She walked up the steps slowly but with determination. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her.

The door opened as she raised her hand to knock and she pulled her hand down with a sigh. Noah had always had a sixth sense of knowing when she was close by. Why would that change because they were no longer together? He gave her a cursory once over before opening the door wider and gesturing for her to come in.

She avoided his gaze as she stepped over the threshold. She didn't want to give away her reason for being there before she had a chance to talk to him. She sat on the couch and he sat at the other end facing her. She turned to face him with her hands in her lap.

"You aren't the easiest person to reason with; you know that don't you?" she asked.

He shrugged with a sigh, his lips forming a hard line.

"You couldn't just let me go, could you? Do you think that I asked for this to happen? Don't you think that I wish things could go back to the way they were? I hate the fact that I am hurting you; but you are not the only victim in this situation," she stated before folding her arms over her chest.

Noah gave her a hard look before looking down at his hands. The vein in his neck looked like it was about to burst but she continued on.

"I refuse to let you make me feel sorry for you. I am hurting just as much as you are and don't get me started on the fact that you haven't said one word to Ben since all of this happened.

"Anything else?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, stop being a douchebag. Your family and friends are worried about you. I am tired of feeling sorry for what happened. When you can talk to me like a civalized adult you know how to get in touch with me," she said before standing.

She was almost to the door when she heard him stand.

"Do you think this is easy for me? Do you think I like causing so much turmoil? You have no idea what it's like for me," he said as he crossed the room to stand behind her.

She turned around slowly knowing that his silence wouldn't last long. If he needed a shouting match to feel better he was going to get one.

"You're right Noah, I don't know what it's like for you. How could I? You shut me out, just like everyone else," she said throwing her hands up in aggrivation.

"You can't say that you want things to change and expect to be happy about it."

"I didn't expect you to understand but you can't sulk and act like a two year old when something you don't like happens. Do you think I wanted this to happen? I hate hurting you, but I hate hurting Ben even more. I can't keep doing this. I'm getting off your emotional roller coaster; don't ask me to get back on, understand?" she asked, giving him a calculating look.

His silence answered back before she turned on her heel to jerk open the door. Marcus and Curtis were outside. Marcus gave her an understanding nod but Curtis wasn't able to meet her eyes. They were the only moral support she would get since CJ would be forced into dealing with Noah but she didn't care. She was free of the emotional shackels that Noah had put on her and she was finally free to move on.

XXXX

Christina looked around the shop taking everything in. Why had she let Alice talk her into dress shopping? This was something that she had always envisioned doing with her mother. She didn't have the heart to tell Alice that she wasn't up to it. Alice was so excited and she didn't want to hurt her feelings.

The sales woman had led them back to a swanky changing room once Alice explained that money wasn't an issue, Edward was paying for the dress and he would spare no expense to see that Christina was happy. Another sales associate brought in a bottle of sparkling water and two glasses. The sales woman came back in with a yellow notepad and sat down on the sette facing Christina and Alice.

"First off, I am going to need your measurements. I can measure you myself if you don't know them."

"The last time I checked they were twenty four, fifteen, twenty four."

"When was that?"

"Umm...Six months ago I think?" she asked looking to Alice for confirmation.

"That sounds about right; Jasper and I renewed our vows in January."

"So it's likely that you've gone through changes since then?"

Christina nodded and the woman pulled a measuring tape from her jacket pocket. Christina stood and did as the woman instructed so that she could take her measurements.

"It looks like you've gone through a drastic change in your bust size," she said in concern.

"The good news is that she's probably done filling out," Aice said optimistically.

""How old are you exactly Christina?"

"Eighteen," she asnwered, sounding sure of herself.

Edward had falsified documents ready for her by the time she was done going through the change. She had studied them for hours until she could spout off the information without letting on that she was lying.

"Lets get down to why you came here. What kind of dress are you looking for?"

"Something vintage, with lots of lace and nothing poofy, the shoulder pad look doesn't work for me."

"Any specific color?"

"White?" Christina said sheepishly.

"I think she meant what shade of white you would want. I'm thinking eggshell or off white or maybe cream," Alice offered.

"How about I bring in a few dresses for you to see?"

"How many vintage dresses can you possibly have?" Christina asked.

"A lot of designers are experimenting with the styles of yesterday. I have a feeling that you'll be pleasantly surprised," the woman said with a smile.

Christina nodded before the woman left the room and Alice patted Christina's arm reassuringly. She had her reservations that they would find a dress. She wished that Alice hadn't pressured her into this. She said a silent prayer that they wouldn't find a dress so that she could have a chance to do this with her mom. An uncomfortable silence filled the room until the sales woman came back.

She hung the dresses on a rack by a floor length mirror that was in front of a platform. She held out the last dress facing her as she took it out of it's garment bag. She pulled the dress out slowly before turning it so that Christina and Alice could inspect it. It was a two tone dress, the sleeves were a toupe color while the dress was beige. Christina looked at it in scrutiny as Alice dug through her purse. The sleeves were full lengthed lace while the dress was short and bell shaped.

Christina shook her head in scrutiny. The woman nodded before putting dress back in its bag. The next dress caught Christina's attention before the woman could turn it around. The back dipped low and the bottom swished as it was turned around. The whole dress was white lace with a silver gauzy underlining. Christina's eyes widened in surprise. Alice made a rustling sound next to her but Christina didn't pay any attention.

"I'll put this aside for you to try on."

Alice's phone buzzed in her purse and she discreetly checked her e-mail. She smiled to herself before silding her phone back into her purse. Another dress was pulled off the rack and held out for Christina's inspection. It was a little more modern than she wanted but it still had a vintage feel to it. The cream colored satin sleeves came to a point at the bottom and the waist was pulled tight with a sash a shade darker than the dress.

"It's okay," Alice said making 'ah' motion with her hand.

"I'll try it on," Christina said with a nod.

Alice inconspicuously took a picture of the dress while Christina's attention was focused on the next dress. She wasn't naive and she wasn't stupid, she'd thought this through before talking Christina into coming. The e-mail she had recieved was from Bella, who had final approval after Christina. Alice was just the middle man and was honored that they both trusted her enough to let her be a part of the process.

"What do you think Alice?" Christina asked.

Alice focused her attention on the dress being held up for inspection. It was a thin strapped white dress with ruffles throughout the dress and a pale silver sash. The skirt of the dress was straight lined and would fall at Christina's knee.

"I like it," Alice said approvingly.

"I think three is enough," Christina said with a smile.

"I'll just put these in the changing room for you."

Christina tried on the silk dress first, but it didn't wow her; it didn't speak to her. Alice shook her head in dismissal as soon as Christina stood on the platform.

"Next?" The woman asked.

She unclasped the dress and Christina bunched the fabric in her hands lightly so that she wouldn't step on it. She decided to try on the last dress she had seen next. It was something that she would normally wear but she wanted to wear something that Edward would like. He had spent hours telling her how much he had loved the clothes from his childhood and that his mother would always model for he and his father. She stepped out, pushing her hair behind her ears nervously.

"It's a flapper dress. Why didn't I notice that earlier?" Alice marvled.

Christina looked at herself in the mirror and was surpised to realize that Alice was right. It wasn't a traditional flapper dress with fringe, but it was one just the same.

"Edward would love it," Alice said with a smile.

Christina's eyes met her in the mirror and Alice nodded quickly to reassure her.

"This is the one."

"I'm sure your fiancee will be very pleased. You look beautiful dear."

"How much is it?"

"It's three hundred.

"Would cash be alright?"

"That's more than fine."

"I'm gonna go change."

"Wait!" Alice said quickly.

She took a picture then shooed Christina back into the changing room. Her phone buzzed almost immediately. _'She looks beautiful. Thank you, Alice'_ was Bella had sent her. Alice smile triumphantly before putting her phone back into her purse. She was glad that Bella didn't resent her. She had been afraid that she would. She should have known that that wouldn't have been the case.

XXXX

It had been days since Sarah had confronted Noah and so far he was doing okay. He had been prepaired for it to happen and he was surprised that Sarah had allowed for it to go on as long as she had. He had always told her that she would have to be the one to let go because he wasn't man enough to let her go. Now that it had happened he could work on moving forward.

He could hear his parents celebrating with CJ and Cassie in the kitchen from his bedroom with the door closed. He was happy for them but he knew that once they got married things would change. CJ would be responsible for providing for Cassie and they would be so blissfully happy that Noah would feel bad bringing his problems to his older brother. With Sarah out of the picture and Joe away at school he felt like CJ was the only person he had left to rely on.

He knew that he would eventually push the three of them away but he hadn't expected them to leave at the same time. Someone opened the door and the person made their way across the room silently. His matress shifted with added weight and the smell of Staycia's baby shampoo wrapped him in a cacoon.

"Goodnight, Bubby," she said quietly.

"'Night Munchkin," he said ruffling her hair.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. He kissed her temple before she let go. She left the door open behind her and soon Hannah came down the hall to tuck her in. Once she was done she stopped at Noah's door, knocking lightly. He turned his head, giving her permission to come in silently. She crossed the room to sit on the edge of his bed.

"You're happy for CJ, right?"

"Yes ma'am," he said with a nod.

"It would help if you let him know that."

"It's just going to take some getting used to."

"I know, but your opinion and approval means alot to him," she reasoned.

He nodded once more realizing what she meant. Even if he wasn't happy with what was going on he needed to act like he was. He would need to apply that to Sarah and Ben as well. Things would be better once they settled down.

XXXX

Rachel had given Sarah her first Saturday off since she had started working for her. Rachel was training Marcus so that he could start working at the studio so that he could earn some extra cash. It was pointless for all three of them to be there doing a job that was meant for two people.

Sarah packed a picnic basket and drove over to Ben's to surprise him. They were starting to make progress and she could feel that they would be officially dating soon. After three months of getting to know each other and dealing with Noah they were finally ready to move on.

As luck would have it Ben was out front washing his truck when she pulled up. He turned off the hose as she got out of the car. He gave her an easy smile as she crossed the space between them.

"Hey stranger," he said before kissing her cheek lightly.

They hadn't seen each other since their date nearly two weeks ago. She hadn't wanted to go any farther with him while Noah was still in the picture. The time without him had been torturous but she felt that it had been needed.

"I have something to tell you."

"I hope it's good news," he said easily as he wrapped an arm around her waist loosely.

"It is. I talked to Noah and I told him that I wasn't playing his head games anymore. He's charmed me for the last time."

"That couldn't have been easy, but I'm glad that you found the courage to finally set him free."

"Me too," she said with an awkward laugh.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?"

"I thought that we could go to the park and have a picnic."

Ben smiled warmly with a nod of agreement. He put away the things he had used to wash his truck before heading inside to change. He opened the passenger door of the truck for her then went to her car to retrieve the basket. Twenty minutes after she had pulled up they were on the road again.

"Which park did you want to go to?"

"Have you been to the forestry yet?"

"I haven't, but I've been meaning to."

"Then lets go there."

He pointed the truck towards the mountains. They talked sporadically during the twenty minute ride and once they got there Sarah led the way down a path that led to the best spot in the park. He took hold of her hand to steady her as they navigated through the woods, bending over to miss low branches and stepping over overgrown bushes and tree roots.

They reached a clearing and Ben took the area in in wonder. There was a waterfall on one side and boulders on two others. It was the size of a baseball filed and there were patches of burnt ground here and there.

"Did something happen here?"

"There was a battle between the Cullen's and an army of newborn vampires. The pack was a part of it; Jake almost died. There's a protection spell on it now."

"Shouldn't grass have regrown since then?"

"No one has planted new seed. They want to keep it this way so that we don't forget."

"It's nice, once you look past the burned out places."

"My dad used to bring Joe and I here all the time."

"What about Noah, has he ever been here?"

"Not that I know of. Embry doesn't like to talk about what happened that day."

Ben nodded in understanding. She was sharing something with him that she hadn't with Noah. He was starting to understand her more and more every day and he was getting pretty good at guessing what she was thinking. Things weren't ideal, but they were getting better.


	15. Reunited

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: I know that I haven't been responding to reviews lately but I've had limited time on the internet and a lot to do in a short amount of time. Just know that I have read all of them and I appreciate each and every one of them. Now that I have someone looking at my computer I can have Microsoft up and running this week. So expect the chapters to be put together better and have no mistakes.**

Sarah knew that giving up her Sunday afternoon to drive her parents to the airport would come back to bite her in the ass. Paul and Rachel were going to Hawaii with Billy to celebrate Billy's birthday with Rebecca and her family but she hadn't known that she would get volunteered to drive Bella and Will home.

Rachel's Honda Pilot was cramped with her parents, Jacob, Maggie, and Billy. She loved her family, but she could think of better ways to spend her day. At least she would have the house to herself for the entire week. Maggie had been pretty much silent other than proclaiming that she needed to use the bathroom when they stopped for gas just outside of Seattle. The six year old was content to watch a movie on Jacob's tablet for the last hour of the ride

At the airport Sarah got her parents and Billy checked in while Jacob when to check to see if Bella and Will's flight had come in. Their flight was delayed by half an hour due to a late departure from New York.

"Dad, when will Mom and Will get here?" Maggie asked for the third time in twenty minutes.

"Let's go to the window and maybe we can see them land," Jacob suggested.

They sat facing the bank of windows while Sarah went to get something to drink. She wanted to give them some time alone. After a few minutes a plane landed and was coming to a stop when Jacob realized that it was the plane they were looking for. Maggie ran to the waiting area as the door opened to let people depart. She looked around the people standing in front of her impatiently until Jacob picked her up. Bella and Will finally came out with the last group of people.

"Mommy!" Maggie cried happily.

Bella smiled widely as Jacob set her down. Maggie ran into Bella's open arms and Bella carried her to where Jacob stood with Will who had droppped his bags and charged his dad, nearly knocking him down.

"I just saw you three weeks ago Little Man," Jacob said ruffling his hair.

"I know, but I still missed you," Will reasoned with a shrug.

"What did you bring me?" Maggie asked Bella.

"We both got you something and you can wait until we get home," Bella reminded her.

She set Maggie down and Will took his sister's hand and led her to row of nearby seats. Jacob took hold of Bella's hands and she let him pull her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her eyes met his. She smiled with a sigh as she leaned in; the kiss was sweet but brief. Sarah hung back taking in the scene. She wished that Christina could be there but they all new that it wasn't meant to be.

Christina was finally starting to find herself again. She hadn't expected to have so many setbacks and be so nervous about what was to come. Edward had been patient and explained that he had felt the same after he had been changed. It had taken him almost a decade to adjust to his life as a vampire. They were now looking forward to staring the next chapter in their lives together.

Jacob grabbed Bella's luggage from the baggage claim and Sarah helped Will carry his. The car ride home was filled with excited chatter from Will and Maggie who had a lot of questions for her brother. Jacob and Bella sat in the back row with his arm slung over the back seat to give Bella room to sit closer to him. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and they talked quietly.

Once the SUV was unloaded and everyone had gotten over the surprise of Christina being there she announced that she was taking her brother and sister for the night.

"You don't have to do that," Bella protested.

"You and dad need a night alone. Plus, I miss seeing them," she said gesturing to Will and Maggie.

"Thanks Christy," Jacob said in gratitude.

"I'm gonna go get Maggie's presnt and give it her before we leave," Will said before running up the stairs.

"He wanted to send it to her as soon as he bought it," Bella said proudly.

"How did he get money?" Christina asked.

"The same way you did. Your Poppa sent him money."

Will came downstairs a few seconds later and he held out a small square white box his younger sister. Maggie took it from him and pulled out the gold chain link bracelet with an emerald medallion hanging from it. Maggie flung her arms around Will's neck, holding him tight.

"He talked about waiting for her birthday to give it to her since emerald is her birthstone, but he decided he couldn't wait," Bella explained.

"Is it vintage?" Christina asked.

"Yeah," Bella said with a nod.

"It's beautiful," Sarah said with a smile.

"Will you put it on me?" Maggie asked Will.

"I told you that you couldn't go wrong with jewelry," Jacob said to Will.

Will put it on Maggie while Christina loaded their things into her car. Sarah was walking to her car as they were leaving.

"Can you come to my house?"

"I have plans," she said regretfully.

"Please?" Christina asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"I really can't. Tonight is Ben's only night free because he's found a substitute teaching job and he needs to get ready."

"Don't remind me that school starts in a week," Will complained, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"M-A-R-C will be there," Christina said hoping to tempt Sarah.

"That spells Marc," Maggie sang from the back seat.

"As tmepting as that sounds, I still have to say no," Sarah said with a chuckle.

"Mean," Christina said with a pout.

Sarah waved before getting into the SUV. She pulled out first since she was going in the opposite direction. She was glad that three of them were getting to spend time together. Christina had confided in her that they would be moving to New York after she and Edward got married because Edward would be starting college at NYU.

In the house Jacob stretched out on the couch with Bella on top of him. Other than a few hours durning that summer they hadn't had time alone in months. The kids had changed after what had happened to their sister. Maggie now felt comfortable enough to spend the night at her best frieneds house and since Will had spent the summer away from his friends they didn't expect him to want to spend too much time at home in the coming weeks.

"So, how many times did you almost burn the house down while I was gone?"

"None. Alice was here until this morning, she did all the cooking," he promised.

Bella placed her head on his shoulder, burying her face in his neck. She breathed deep taking in his scent She fell asleep that way, glad to finally be home. Jacob was content to let her stay where she was, he would sleep easier at night now that she was home. The time apart had been good for them but they were elated to be together again.

XXXX

Noah stared at the house in front of him. It didn't look any different than the house that Sue lived in two streets over. Like on the Rez, the houses of Forks looked uniform. Even the newer houses were modeled after the ones there before them. Ben's Dodge Ram sat in the driveway. He heaved a sigh of relief that he had caught Ben in a rare moment when Sarah wasn't around. He walked up the walk way and knocked on the door gathering up all of the nerve he could muster.

He hadn't seen or talked to Ben in three years. They had both been busy with school and living on opposite coasts didn't help things. The thing that scared him the most was that he didn't know what to expect.

He knocked on the door again and less than a minute later he heard someone coming down the stairs. The door swung open slowly. Ben's t-shirt and basket ball shorts were rumpled and his hair was sticking up in tufts. It was obvious that he had been sleeping. He sighed, waiting for his eyes to focus. When they did he gave Noah a blank look before folding his arms over his chest.

"I thought your dad was big, Jesus Christ," Noah said with a sigh, shaking his head.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you."

Ben sighed once more before opening the door wider. Noah followed him to the kitchen and sat at the table while Ben rifled through the refrigerator. He came to sit across from Noah and placed a can of Pepsi in front of him.

"Sarah probably told you that we had a fight a few weeks ago," Noah broached.

"It came up."

"I wanted to wait for things to settle down before I came to see you. I'm sorry for constantly getting between the two of you. I'm also sorry for the way I treated her, maybe if I had treated her better she wouldn't have trust issues right now."

"That's true," Ben agreed, taking a long pull from his drink.

"I've never been the easiest person to get along with so when somone comes along with the balls to stick around and take the time to get to know you and you let them in you want to hold onto that. It nearly killed me to let her go and now she's yours. You'll see how great she is and you'll feel the same way I did when I had her."

"How did you feel?"

"Like I could take on the world, I could do anything because she believed in me," Noah explained.

Now that Ben knew the whole story he understood things better. Noah wasn't the type to tell people what was bothering him. Noah, despite his small size could intimidate anyone. One dark look from his green eyes could cripple even the strongest of people. Ben was intimidating in his own right, but people mostly left him alone because of his size. No one wanted to mess with someone who was six foot five and weighed two hundred and twenty pounds.

Noah held his drink can in both hands, turning the can round and round nervously. He had extended the proverbeable olive branch and all Ben had to do was accept it. Ben stared at him thoughtfully wondering why he had really come over. It couldn't be just to smooth things over.

"I forgive you and I appreciate you coming over," Ben said politely.

"It's not like I could apologize over the phone. Plus, Sarah made a good point; I wasn't being fair to you by ignoring you."

"So you did this because Sarah told you to?" Ben asked with an even look.

"That didn't come out right. She called me on it, but she never told me flat out that I should," Noah said shaking his head.

Ben nodded, accepting his answer. It couldn't have been easy for Noah to lose Sarah. And to lose her to his cousin had to hurt even worse. He would cut Noah some slack and give him credit for trying to work things out. Sarah was an amazing girl and they were both lucky to have her in their lives.

XXXX

Ben gave himself a quick once over before grabbing his keys and wallet then headed out the door. He and Sarah had been out on a few dates but there was something about tonight that he could feel a change was coming. He drove down the highway nervously druumming his fingers on the steering wheel. They had already been through so much, what else could be thrown at them? He knew that their relationship was strong, it was worth fighting for. He knew they were young but he could see them growing old together, he could imagine having kids with her. Even if he wasn't her imprint he thought that they would have somehow ended up together.

Sarah was at the window when he pulled up. She made her way through the yard as he came around to open her door for her. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek before getting into the car. He got into the car and they drove through the reservation in silence.

"Are you okay?" she asked to break the silence.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking," he reassured her with a small smile.

"What did you do today?"

"I finished the outline for my lesson plan so that I can get it approved tomorrow and Noah came over."

"Noah came over?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"It was good, we talked and he explained his side of things. I don't think we're going to have anymore problems with him."

Sarah settled back against her seat with sigh. Ben took hold of her closest hand and intertwined their fingers. He squeezed her hand reassuringly before brushing his thumb across her wrist. That one gesture calmed her down enough that she could think rationally. She never would have suspected that Noah would go to see Ben. Noah had never been remorseful for anything in his life. She would have to believe it when she saw it.

Ben had made reservations at the nicest restaurant in Port Angeles. Once they were seated and had given the waitress their drink orders Ben broke the silence.

"You don't think Noah meant what he said?"

"I know him better than that. He's never appologized to anyone outside of his family or me in his life."

"Well, since I am a member of his family and this concerns you, maybe he does mean it," Ben rationalized.

"Have you always been this nice?" she teased.

"It's a curse," he said with a wry smile.

If he trusted Noah there was no reason why she shouldn't. Noah wasn't a bad guy; he was just stubborn and set in his ways. People changed all the time who was to say that Noah couldn't?

"Stop worrying," Ben said with a heavy sigh.

"Sorry, it's just that he's gotten in the way before and now I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Everything is going to be fine," he reassured her.

She sighed, pushing her fears to back of her mind. She hadn't thought about Noah once since she had seen him last and now that he had decided to play nice she was confused.

Dinner was filled with polite conversation and Ben had succeded in taking her mind off of Noah. After dinner they walked to the Port Angeles Playhouse where Ben bought them tickets to see Phantom of the Opera. No one had ever gone so far out of their way to make her happy. She had never been to a play before and she had enjoyed it so much that she talked about it the whole way home. They sat out front of her house for over an hour talking but she didn't want the night to end.

"You've never been to a play before?"

"No," she said sheepishly.

"My parents take my brother, sister, and I to church every Easter to see 'The Greatest Story Ever Told', our Pastor has turned it into this big deal."

"Isn't that a five hour long movie?"

"Yes it is," he said with remorse.

"I don't know if I could handle that," she said with a nervous laugh.

"I've fallen asleep the past three years in a row."

Sarah laughed then looked at the clock on the dash board. It was after midnight and she had to be at the studio by nine. She sighed before reluctantly gathering her things. Ben walked her to the door then turned her to face him. She looked up at him from underneath her lashes as he leaned down. He brushed his lips to her then cupped her face in his hands before pressing his lips hers again. Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck so that she was pressed against him. He didn't want to push his luck so he put his forhead to hers with a sigh. He smiled tenderly before kissing her forehead.

He pulled away from her then slowly walked down the stairs in a daze. Sarah watched him get into his car before going inside. She leaned agains tthe door with a smile. She hadn't expected him to kiss her or that it would effect her so much. Her lips tingled with electricity even two minutes later. She touched her lips as she pushed away from the door to walk to her room. Her cell phone buzzed as she was getting ready for bed. Ben's face stared back at her from the screen and she smiled as she read his text. He had texted her to tell her goodnight and that he would see her in the morning. He was going to drive her to work since it would be the only time they would be able to see each other tomorrow. She was thankful that he was willing to spend what little free time he had with her. It gave her hope that things would get better.


	16. Leave a Tender Moment Alone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: I wanted to bring something up before I get this chapter started: Did none of you like the last chapter? No one had anything to say about it. Did you guys think that I should have done something different? I'm a big girl, I can take it if you all didn't like it but I thought that it was a big chapter and a huge change for the story and the way that it's going. Anyway, don't be afraid to give me critism of any sort. Every writer needs room for growth and I'm up for suggestions if any of you have them.**

The Uley's coffee table was covered with bridal magazines and books partaining to the wedding. Sam had made himself scarce when Cassie had shown up explaining that she wanted Emily's input on the wedding. Three hours later they were still pouring over magazines when Cassius stopped by looking for Sam.

"He's around somewhere. Try upstairs, hon," Emily said from the couch.

Cassius bolted from the room, glad that they hadn't asked his opinion about something. His only job was to rent a tux and stand in between Noah and Marcus. He didn't want to be a part of the planning process and felt sorry for CJ because he had to be.

The women went back to what they were doing without a second thought. Cassie flipped through a fabric swatch book, trying to decide on a bridesmaid dress. She wanted a neutral tone and it needed to be something sophisticated yet pratical. Her own dress was champaign colored and was a traditional Cinderella ball gown. She would use the same veil her mom had used which was white lace and would cover her face and cascade down her back. She had chosen white and pink roses for the boquets and white baby roses for the guys lapels. She was glad that CJ had given her nearly free reign over the planning.

CJ had opinions on what food he wanted and he wanted a chocolate cake with white icing and Cassie wasn't going to deny him that. WIth the wedding less than two months away things were falling into place.

Upstairs in the family room Sam and Cassius were content to stay out of the female's way. They watched the news then found an old Seahawks game on ESPN Classic.

"Where's Marc?" Cassius asked.

"He's watching Will and Maggie tonight," Sam answered not looking away from the TV.

Like Jacob, Sam had reservations about letting his youngest son grow too attatched to the youngest Black too soon. Marcus followed the rules that both sets of parents had set up and they knew that he wouldn't do anything to betray their trust. They didn't have a reason to worry now but later on down the road there would be a lot of stress and sleepless nights.

Jacob prayed for the time between now and when Maggie turned eighteen to slow to a crawl. He still thought of Maggie as a baby. She still played with Barbies but she had recently proclaimed that tea parties were lame. That was a step in the wrong direction in Jacob's opinion. Bella reminded him repeatedly to take things as they came. They still had eleven more years of Maggie's childhood to get through.

XXXX

After playing football with Will and some of his friends Marc was able to get Will to come inside so that he could make dinner. Bella had a writer's dinner to go to in Seattle and she and Jacob weren't due back until late. Maggie had spent most of the afternoon as Marc and Will's personal cheerleader. Right now she was playing in the treehouse within easy sight of the kitchen window while Will played video games in the living room.

Honestly, Marc was just glad to spend a little time with Maggie. He didn't see as anything more than a cute little girl who could do no wrong for now. He was apprehensive about the feelings that would come as they got older. Quil had given him a lot of great advice about dealing with the setbacks of having a young imprint. CJ had it easy even if he had imprinted on Marc's older sister. Sarah had been pulled in so many directions in the past few months that Marc couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Things were finally starting to look up for her.

Marc called for Will to come downstairs and wash up for dinner before going to get Maggie. He climbed the ladder and stood on the last rung watching Maggie cradle one of her baby dolls.

"Dinner's ready, Angel," he said to get her attention.

"Okay," she said climbing out the small doorway.

She climbed onto his back, still holding her doll. He jumped down, landing lightly on the ground. That wasn't something he would do with Jacob or Bella around, neither would approve. But Maggie liked it so he did it whenever they were alone. She pressed her cheek against his back and he couldn't hold back the smile that crept up.

Inside Will was drying his hands when Marc placed Maggie on the counter.

"What's for dinner?" Will asked.

"Taco's," Marc said as he handed Maggie the bottle of soap.

They talked and joked all through dinner and once Will had helped Marc clean the kitchen he went upstairs to do his homework.

"Have you got any homework, Munchkin?" Marc asked Maggie.

She shook her head before walking to the living room. The sounds of the movie Tangled filtered up the stairs as he went to check on Will. Once he had sure Will had the help he needed he went to the living room. He sat next to Maggie and she leaned against him innocently. They had probably watched this movie twenty times but since it was her favorite he kept quiet. Her favorite scene came on and she sang along about seeing the light and the fog being lifted.

After the movie was over he realized that Maggie hadn't said much for the last twenty minutes of the movie. He looked down to see that she had fallen asleep snuggled close to him with her head against his arm. He carried her upstairs and woke her up long enough for her to change into her pajama's while he checked on Will who was watching Pawn Stars in his parent's room.

"Twenty more minutes, Dude," Marcus announced from the door.

Back in Maggie's room she had picked out a book for him to read to her. They got lost in the story of Peter Rabbit and she stayed awake for the whole story. He helped her through her prayers before tucking her in and turning out the light. Her night light illuminated the room dimly and when he check on Will he had put himself to bed.

Marc found a movie to watch and before he knew it, it was two a.m. and Jacob's headlights shown brightly in the front window. Bella offered to let him stay but he declined since he had to work the next morning.

"They weren't too much trouble were they?"

"No ma'am. They were asleep by nine."

"Really? Without a fight?" Jacob questioned.

Marcus shrugged his shoulders with a bashful smile. Bella held out forty dollars for him to take but he shook his head with a nervous chuckle. His mom had left the front porch light and the light over the kitchen sink on for him. He turned them off before heading to bed. Thoughts of Maggie kept him up for nearly half an hour. Edward had inadvertantly shown him a vision Alice had shown him. Maggie would be beautiful when she got older. He would have his hands full since apparently she would also have Jacob's stubborn streak. At least he knew what he was in for.

XXXX

Edward had been evasive and hiding something from Christina for nearly a month. She came home after spending the day with her mom, Maggie, Sarah, and Aunt Rachel to find Jasper's Jag in the driveway. The door opened and Alice was pulling her door open before she could pull the key out of the ignition.

"What's wrong with you? You just saw me three weeks ago," Christina reminded her, giving her a strange look.

Alice pulled her to her in a death grip. Christina patted her back awkwardly, wondering what was going on.

"Happy Anniversary!" Alice said excitedly.

Was it really September fifteenth already? Luckily, she had gotten Edward something weeks ago. She recovered quickly giving Alice a smile.

"Thank you."

"There's a dress hanging on your bedroom door Edward should be home soon. I'll see you in a few weeks," Alice said before letting go if her.

Christina went to her room to find a silk crimsom halter dress hanging on the back of the door. She pulled it down and held it to her to inspect it. The acemetric cut at the hem fell to her right knee and left thigh.

She placed the dress back on the hook before starting a bath. Alice had left her stamp in the bathroom too. Candles were scattered around the room and a bottle of Christina's favorite bubble bath was sitting on the stairs leading to the tub. She stripped down then turned on the Bose player that was mounted to the wall. Whitney Houston came through the speakers as she slid into the water.

She relaxed against the edge of the tub, lost in the feeling of the water, the smell of roses and the music. The front door opened twenty minutes later and Edward's footsteps could be heard on the stairs. Soon he was standing at the bathroom door.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi," he said returning her smile.

"Why was Alice here?"

"I asked her to get a few things. She was just dropping them off," he explained with a dissmissive wave of his hand.

"Why couldn't you do it?" she asked, her eyebrow quirked in question.

"I had some other things to take care of."

"Like what?"

"It's a surprise," he said with a wink.

"Can you hand me my robe?"

He held it out for her and because he was a gentleman he turned his head as she slipped it on. She tied it tightly before letting him know that he could look. She smiled up at him before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Happy anniversary," she said quietly.

"Is it our anniversary?" he asked innocently.

She shook her head slowly with a smile.

"Happy anniversary my love," he said, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She kissed him lightly before pulling away from him. She got dressed while he went downstairs. She wouldn't normally wear something that showed so much cleavage or stilletto shoes but she would wear them tonight since it was a special occasion.

Downstairs she found him sitting at his piano. He had changed into a charcoal gray suit and his hair was still wet from his quick shower. She came to stand behind him, running her hands over his shoulders and down his chest. He had boundaries and she knew how to toe the line. He tilted his head to look up at her and she leaned down to kiss him.

The kiss grew heated as he expertly turned around and pulled her into his lap without missing a beat. She tangled her fingers in his hair and his hands traveled down her bare arms. After a few minutes his arousal had grown against her backside. He groaned against her lips before reluctantly pulling away from her.

"As much as I love you and don't want this to end I want to keep that dress intact," he murmured.

"I can take it off," she offered suggestively.

"That's tempting; but no," he said with a ruefull smile.

She exhaled loudly before sticking out her bottom lip in frustration. He kissed her lightly before lifting her off of him. He stood, straightening his pants over his erection. He took her hand, leading her out of the back door and into the woods. She stared at his retreating figure, wondering what he was doing.

There was a faint light in the distance and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She'd had no idea that there was anything out here. They had to be at least ten miles from the main house. As they got closer she saw a lone stone cottage. It was small, simple and welcoming.

"Who's house is this?"

"It's ours. It used to be Emmett and Rosalie's but they gave it to us as a early wedding present. We'll live here after we're married," he explained as he picked up a rock from the small garden out front.

He opened a small compartment and a key fell into his hand. He unocked the door and opened it then gestured for her to go in first. Inside there was a fire burning in the small fireplace giving the main room a homey feel. She walked into the kitchen which had been turned into a makeshift office. The larger of the two bedrooms was obviously meant to be theirs. The largest sleigh bed she had ever seen took up half the room along with an armour and a vanity. She walked to a door off to the side and reached inside to flip the light switch.

It was the largest walk-in closet she had ever seen. It was already stocked with clothes for her.

"Alice dropped all of it off this morning," Edward explained from behind her.

"Some of these labels are in Italian and French," she said in awe.

"Nothing but the best for you," he said with a smile.

"Is this my anniversary present?"

"No, that's in the living room. I still need to get it ready," he said walking out of the room.

She continued walking down the hall to the second bedroom which was considerably smaller and had been turned a library. She ran her fingers over the spines reading each title. The shelves ran the whole room floor to ceiling and there was a settee in the center of the room where she could sit. Bella had passed on her love reading to Christina and she could see herself spending a lot of her time in this room.

She heard Edward before he came into the room but she didn't turn around. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she leaned against him. He kissed her shoulder then neck before taking hold of her hand to lead her into the living room. They sat at the piano and he looked down at his hands.

"Did your mom ever tell you that I wrote a song for her?" he asked shyly.

"She has," Christina said with a brief nod.

"Have you heard it?"

"Mmhmm, she played it for me once. It was beautiful."

"Writing that song was so easy. Writing one for you...not so much," he said with a light, nervous laugh.

"You wrote me a song?" she asked endearingly.

"It's your present."

"Why was it hard to write?"

"Because I wanted it to be perfect. I must have waisted a hundred sheets of paper before I finished," he said placing his hands on the keys.

Christina listened intently as the opening notes were played. The song was quiet, almost like a lullaby. It was nothing like the song her mom had played for her with it's whimsical overture. No, this was the grandest gesture of love that she had ever heard. Her gift would pale in compairison to his but she knew that he would appreciate it just the same. The song last nearlly ten minutes but it didn't matter. She had loved every second of it. He turned to look at her from under his lashes to see her holding a hand to her chest, too moved to speak. After a few minutes she found the right words.

"That was beautiful, I loved it. Thank you," she said graciously.

"I'm glad that you liked it. You're welcome," he said with a pleased smile.

"Your gift is at the house but I can go and get it," she said rising from the stool.

"There's no need. It can wait until later," he said putting a hand on her arm.

She sat back down, leaning against him once he had draped an arm over her shoulders. Later, after they had gone back she gave him his present. He graciously accepted the monogramed music sheets and copy of To Kill a Mocking Bird, touched that she had remembered that it was his favorite book and that his copy had gotten lost the last time he had moved. They spent a quiet night at home and they were both content just being together.


End file.
